The Wizard of Unova
by Dilnos521
Summary: A young man, Champion when he was younger, had ended his Trainer days. However, when a box of Poké Balls is brought to his house, he and two friends are asked to help complete the PokéDex. With a new starter, new rules, and a new region to explore, he'll challenge the League and fight against Team Plasma while meeting...Witches? Nuzlocke for Black version, rated T for now.
1. A Hero's Start

**Hello, and welcome...**

 **Huh? Oh, this isn't something I usually work on, is it?**

 **Well...hmm...how do I explain this? Let's see...ah!**

 **I had originally thought of an idea of a crossover between** _Strike Witches_ **and** _Pokémon_ **that would be set in a location like Pokétopia...until I learned more about what a Nuzlocke challenge was. I have an attempt on Diamond version I still need to finish, which is a sort of easy version, but I figured that, as my Diamond run was more of a versus with someone else in my family, I would decide to embark on one by myself.**

 **So I did...not complete yet, but...**

 **Anyways, I will be supplying information at the end of this chapter concerning this challenge as well as updates, so please stay tuned as we begin this storylocke...I hope I used that term correctly...**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 1: A Hero's Start**

Legends.

I've always been curious about how they were made.

They say that there were beings who control time, space, the weather...even a being who possibly created the entire universe.

But...are they real? Is it possible to actually meet them face-to-face? And if so...can humanity handle that sort of power?

...

Right, I should introduce myself: my name's Roland.

I'm not sure if I need to divulge a last name, so I'll spare you the details. Just know the basics: I was born in Kanto and, at the age of ten, I registered to become a Pokémon Trainer, like most kids around my age. I was really optimistic about it when I was younger, and I challenged gyms when I could. Eventually, I reached the Indigo Plateau, where the Elite Four were, and won there, even beating my rival at the time.

However, that was a long time ago...

After I turned twelve, I got tired and...well, things happened to me. Young hopefuls for my title were starting to get tiring, and it took a year after the novelty of being Champion wore thin before someone managed to beat me. Some kid named "Blue". That was about when life decided to screw with me even more: my mom decided to move us over to a new region called Unova.

A chance to start over, she said.

No idea, but I wasn't going to complain too much. I was figuring I would be getting a chance to just let the world I knew be...but sometimes it's those things that you couldn't force away. If I could, I'd never have met any of the people I did along the way, all the Pokémon I met...all the lives that became lost...

I'll start with that fateful morning...

XXXXXXXXXX

"So explain to me again really fast," I said as I sat on my bed, staring at two people I had gotten acquainted with about a year ago. I was wearing a pair of green pajamas.

"Professor Juniper decided to hand us a box," one of them, a boy named Cheren, told me. He wore a blue long-sleeved shirt with a white T-shirt underneath. The shirt had thick orange lines along the collar and came together into one going down his shirt. He had a pair of black slacks over his head, held by a black belt with a silver buckle, and blue loafers. His hair looked a bit weird, being normal except for a tuft of hair pointing up and curled. "They contain Pokémon."

"Pokémon?" I blinked. Why is the professor handing us a box of them? What does she have planned for us?

"Isn't that great, Roland?" the second person, a girl named Bianca, asked. She seemed to be wearing a white dress of sorts with an orange vest, yellow flats, and orange socks that seemed to extend under her skirt. On top of her blond-colored hair was a green beret with a white stripe across it horizontally. Hanging to her right side was a green handbag. "I think it is myself. I mean, we get to be Trainers!" She then looked at me. "Well, again in your case."

I sighed. I've known them for barely a year, but I did at least tell them that I had once been a Champion in Kanto. That went...well, a bit unsure there. Bianca thought it was interesting, and to be fair so did Cheren, but probably more for a competitive reason.

"I understand, Bianca," I said as I lowered my eyebrows. Time to address the biggest problem I have at the moment. "Now, if you two don't mind... _get out of my room and let me get DRESSED!_ "

XXXXXXXXXX

A few minutes of getting dressed later, and I stood in front of a box that Cheren had placed on my desk. I wore a green vest with a black T-shirt under it, black cargo pants, and white tennis shoes. My black hair was combed neater, though a bit of a curl was around in the front.

"Now why exactly are we getting Pokémon today?" I asked.

"Well, the professor wanted us to help her with something," Cheren explained. "To do that, we need Pokémon."

"Isn't it exciting, though?" Bianca asked me. "We can meet our new partner!"

"I liked my Charizard better," I tried saying.

"Your Kanto license's been expired for a while, Roland, so you're going to have to handle a new Pokémon," Cheren replied. "Besides, it's not the end of the world, is it?"

"...Maybe..." I sighed. "Alright, I'll pick a new one. Can't be too hard to get back into the swing of things."

"That's the spirit!" Bianca shouted with glee. "Since Professor Juniper sent them to your house, why don't you get first pick, Roland?"

I did a double take. "Wait, me? Why not you two? I mean, I've chosen a starter before, so wouldn't it be fair for you to do so first?"

"Actually, I kinda agree with Bianca," Cheren added. "It would be fair to let us choose, but...the professor did send them to your house, so it must mean something."

I sighed and looked at the box. It was blue with a red ribbon tying it closed. Tugging at the ribbon made it give way before I pulled the top off and found three Poké Balls in there, arranged in a little triangle. They even had little nametags in front of each one.

"Tepig...Snivy...and Oshawott," I read. "Well, I get first pick apparently, so..." I picked up Tepig's ball first and looked at it. "Well, I'd think it's a great idea to go with a type I know, but...maybe I should try something different..." I put it back and picked up Snivy's next. "But then again I don't even know what they look like...so..." I put the current ball down as well and stared at Oshawott's. "Welp, I'll choose you." I grabbed it and held it in my right hand, showing I had made my choice.

"Oshawott?" Bianca asked as she grabbed one of them and stuck it in her bag. "I'll take Tepig's then! Here, Cheren, this one's yours!" She then grabbed Snivy's ball and showed it to Cheren, who fixed his glasses.

"I'm supposed to choose, Bianca," the boy said before sighing. "Oh well, I was going to choose Snivy anyways." He took the ball and stuck it into one of his shirt pockets.

"So everyone's got a Pokémon now!" She then stared at the ceiling for a bit before she got an idea. "So that's that! How about we have a Pokémon battle right now?"

"Uh, are you sure?" I asked as I gulped. "We're in my room right now, so..." I wasn't going to like where this was going...

"Oh don't be a worrywart about it! These little guys are weak, so we have to let them battle before they make a mess. So it's settled. Roland, get ready to battle!"

"Wait, what?" I asked.

I then watched as Bianca reached into her bag...and struggled to pull out the Poké Ball she had shoved in there not even a few minutes ago before getting it out. She then threw it into the air before it opened and revealed...a sort of pig.

...Don't ask how I know what a "pig" is, but it's one. You want a closer description, it'd be a Spoink or something, I don't know. I only heard about it, not seen one!

The pig was orange with a black stripe around it and a curly tail with an orange ball at the end.

"Okay, here we go then..." I said uncertainly as I tossed mine up and watched it open to reveal a blue creature with a white head, kind of furry all over. It looked a bit like a Bidoof on two legs, and it was holding a shell of some kind in its hand.

...I know from experience that these starters are color-coded to represent an element: Tepig seemed to be Fire-type while Oshawott was Water-type. They're also only able to attack with a Tackle or Scratch command.

Well, this is going to take a while...

XXXXXXXXXX

A few minutes later (and a battle with Cheren added to the bill), and I was busy staring in shock at the state of my room.

Apparently, after Bianca's battle, it turned into a pigsty (something she was surprised at when Cheren asked her to look around). Luckily, Cheren kept it from getting worse, though he and Bianca were now downstairs in order to apologize to my mom for making the mess in the first place. Which left me and my new partner.

I sighed and, looking at Oshawott, said, "I better go down and make sure Cheren and Bianca are alright." I went over to the stairs leading down into the living room before stopping and turning around to address Oshawott. "Well, we're in this together, so ready?"

Oshawott nodded its head and followed me downstairs, where I found Cheren and Bianca talking to my mom.

"...clean it up later," she told them (I must have popped in towards the end of the conversation). "Shouldn't you three be on your way to meet Professor Juniper?"

"Yes, thank you!" Cheren told her politely. "Please excuse us. Come, let's go thank the professor." He started to leave before he turned and looked at me. "I'll be waiting in front of the Pokémon Research Lab."

Bianca must have remembered something before she exclaimed, "Wait, I need to go home first!" To Mom, she added, "Thanks so much for having us over!" She and Cheren then left the house.

Soon, Mom came up to me.

"Oh my, Roland," she greeted me. She seemed to be wearing a gray sweater and gray skirt with a sort of hair band on top of her head. "Pokémon battles sure are lively, aren't they?"

"Mom, I've been a Trainer before," I replied simply. "This was the first time I actually had one in my room, that's all."

"Right, I know, sweetie. But your Pokémon do need to rest after a battle like that. Take a little break before you go off to the lab and pack up really quick. I'll keep an eye on your new partner." She then looked down at Oshawott. "Hmm...are you going to give him a name?"

"I don't know what Oshawott is right now. I'll have a name ready by the time I leave town, though."

Mom chuckled. "Alright, then. Don't forget to take your 'cross-transceiver' with you."

XXXXXXXXXX

It took a few minutes to pack up some essentials, including change of clothes, a toothbrush, some pencils, and a few notepads, but I was soon heading off to the lab with Oshawott safely in its Poké Ball.

Closing the door behind me, I strapped my saddle bag on tighter before seeing Bianca straight ahead. I was about to ask her why she was standing there when she started walking away. Curious, I followed her to a house. I guess it was her house because she stepped inside.

Walking over to the door, I saw that it was open a crack. Now, I wasn't usually an eavesdropping sort of person, but I started hearing some voices.

"No, no, a thousand times no!" I heard a male voice shout first. That sounded like her dad.

"But, I'm..." Bianca tried. "I'm a good Trainer who got a Pokémon and everything! I can totally go on an adventure!" I then watched as the door opened, and I could see Bianca standing there, her face looking...distressed. "Oh...hey, Roland..."

"Everything fine?" I tried. "I mean, you were standing in front of my house still when..."

"It's okay. It's fine. I'll be waiting for you in front of the lab, okay?" She then bowed politely and moved past me.

Hmm...from what I recalled about her family, her father didn't really seem to like the idea of his daughter being a Trainer or traveling. Something about not knowing anything about the world. Her mom was more understanding of the situation, simply passing it off as him being "overprotective".

Me? Might make that a bit of a jerk, personally.

"Boy, why are you standing there for?" Bianca's dad asked me. "Don't you have some adventure to go on with my daughter?"

I blinked. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, just..."

"Just what?"

"...I should go..." I closed the door and hastily walked to the lab, hoping to catch up to my friends.

I should ask Bianca about the situation more...

XXXXXXXXXX

"What took so long?" Cheren asked me as I arrived at the lab, out of breath. "You look like you ran a mile."

"You know how hard it is to power-walk?" I retorted. "Anyways, let's head inside and see the professor."

"Alright."

We stepped inside and soon found Professor Juniper standing there. I remembered reading an article about some of her work (have to remember which one...), so I was a little familiar with who she was.

"Hello, I've been waiting for you three," she told us kindly. "Let me reintroduce myself again..."

"Could we please not?" I asked. "I mean, we know you're Professor Juniper, so..."

"Come, come, Roland!" I think she looked a little pouty. Just a smidgen. "This isn't a time to take things lightly. Today's a day to remember, so it's best to behave with some formality."

"Roland's done this before..." Bianca tried.

"I know, Bianca. Champion of Kanto at the age of ten, retired. His license did expire, though, so until he gets there to renew it, I'll assume he's a newcomer. Anyways, I am Professor Juniper and I am researching when and how the creature we know as Pokémon came into existence." She looked at each of us and looked surprised. "Oh, that's strange! You three already had a few battles. Maybe that's why...I guess your Pokémon have already begun to trust you. Speaking of, have you thought of some names for your Pokémon?"

"Yeah," Cheren told her.

"Same here," Bianca added.

"...I'm not sure..." I admitted. "I've been trying to think of one, but...I don't know if mine's a male or female..."

"Hmm...let me see your Oshawott," Professor Juniper told me. I handed her Oshawott's ball and watched as she called it out into the open. She then knelt down and looked at it carefully. She then looked at me and said, "I'm not sure, but let me try something..." To Oshawott, she added, "Okay, Oshawott, I want you to wave your right arm if you're a boy or your left if you're a girl."

"What is that supposed to..." I watched as Oshawott waved _her_ left arm.

"You're a girl?" Oshawott nodded her head. "Well, there's your answer."

...That was so simple...why didn't I think of that?!

The professor recalled Oshawott back into her Poké Ball and handed it back to me before saying, "Now that that's settled, I gave you all Pokémon for..."

"The PokéDex, right?" Cheren tried.

"PokéDex?" Bianca asked, confused.

"I'm astonished you knew that, Cheren!" Professor Juniper said. "Good job! You've already studied Pokémon extensively, haven't you? Still let me explain everything from the beginning for everyone else's...well, Bianca's sake." I guess she knew that I got my Charmander from Professor Oak and as such must have already known what she was talking about.

Because I already knew this, I chose to tune out the professor's speech and tried thinking of a good name for Oshawott.

I don't know too many good female names, strangely enough. And I usually don't give my teammates nicknames, but...it does help if I encounter a Trainer using a Pokémon I already had...

I think the professor said something because I could hear Cherena nd Bianca telling her "Yes."

"Same here," I said absent-mindedly.

"Thanks so much," Professor Juniper told us as I refocused on her. "You gave the best possible answer. Now, let's see..." She looked around and found some PokéDexes for us, handing us each one. I took a quick look and noted that it looked a bit like a thin brick...or something.

She then asked us to meet her at Route 1 before leaving. Something about catching Pokémon.

"S-since the professor asked us, it's okay to go on an adventure, right?" Bianca asked us timidly. "I can explore and maybe find what I want to do in life. I think I'd like that."

"Of course," Cheren replied. "We can travel however we like while we complete the PokéDex."

"Well, I'm going to head over to Route One and see what the professor wanted," I told them. "I'll meet you there."

Stepping outside, I heard my friends following behind me as I looked at my mom, who was standing just outside.

"Oh, there you are!" she said. "So...what did the professor have to say?"

"She asked us to complete the PokéDex," I replied.

"She did?! I can't believe it!"

...She doesn't really seem to remember what I did as a Trainer a lot, does she? "Uh, yeah, same here..."

"Well, I already knew she would. That's why I came over to give you three Town Maps." She handed each of us a map, and I stored it in my backpack for now. "Oh, and don't worry about your room...or what's left of it. I'll tidy everything up. You three be safe and have fun on your adventure. I'll be sure to let your parents know."

Parents? As in Cheren's and Bianca's as well? "Okay..."

As we watched Mom leave, I glanced at each of them and asked, "So...Route One now?"

"Yeah," Cheren replied.

"Let's go, let's go!" Bianca said as she started walking to the route, Cheren behind her. I followed behind closely until they came to a stop.

"Why'd you stop, Bianca?" Cheren and I asked her.

"Well...I was thinking..." Bianca looked at us. "I wanted us to take our first steps on this adventure together! And what better place than right here on Route One?"

"...Your house?" I tried.

Bianca gave off a sort of whine. "Roland, I don't mean that!"

"Alright, alright." I held my hands in front of me to calm her down. "I'll do it if Cheren's willing to as well."

"Sure," Cheren replied. "Shall we?"

We stood together, side by side, as Bianca started counting.

"One!" she said.

"Two!" I thought about the sort of things I might see and the Pokémon I might be able to capture.

"Three!" We started walking onto Route 1, heading towards Professor Juniper. "Oh, this is so exciting! I wonder what'll happen! Don't you two agree?"

"Sure does feel like that!" Cheren replied.

"Feels awkward a bit..." I admitted. "Still, it's better than starting off on my own. Thanks, Bianca."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **And there goes the first steps into my solo Nuzlocke adventure. Not quite perfect, but it does seem manageable at the very least...**

 **Now, first off I better start with an update schedule: I can't guarantee having a consistent update time at the moment seeing as I have my two series to work on along with some other stories that are behind them in priority, but I will be sure to ensure that I avoid leaving no updating for around...three months or so? Let's just say around a month each, two max if I forget or get swamped.**

 **Next, the rules: these are non-negotiable...except for one of them, which you'll see. Here they are:**

 **Nuzlocke Rules (Black)**

 **Main Rules**

 **1)** If a Pokémon faints, it is out for good. (This is obvious, for those who are veterans of Nuzlockes or are performing one.)

 **2)** I may only catch the first encounter in each new area. If I KO it or it runs away, I lose the ability to catch any other Pokémon in the area. As far as trades and gifts are concerned, they will count for an encounter, so the Pansear/Pansage/Panpour you're given for Cilan/Cress/Chili counts for the encounter for the Dreamyard.

 **2.5)** Nicknames must be given to all Pokémon except for trades, seeing as you can't rename traded Pokémon from my last memory of playing a Pokémon game.

 **Additional Rules**

 **3)** Species/Dupes Clause: If a Pokémon I have already captured is encountered, it does not count as an encounter. This only applies if I have the Pokémon in question alive still; if not, then I am free to capture it as it is one I don't have anymore. An example is that I may not catch a Patrat if I have one already, but I may catch a Watchog provided that Patrat I caught hasn't evolved.

 **4)** Rules are not officially enforced until I have acquired Poké Balls.

 **5)** Battle style **_will be_** set to "set".

 **6)** Defeated Pokémon will be permanently placed into the PC Box as a sort of graveyard. The boxes used will be separate from the ones used to house any extras caught. Also, I will be sorting them based on their cause of death (KIA for anyone who dies from an attack; Burned for those who are wiped by the Burnstatus effect; Poisoned for those killed by poison damage; and Guardians, for those who died taking a hit for a teammate).

 **7)** For the story's sake, there will be three "revives" to act as "second chances". However, I will not use it unless I feel that the Pokémon that fell is still needed (or in the event that you guys want me to keep it around). Revived Pokémon will be marked with a star and are ineligible for revivals afterwards (meaning that if it goes down again #1 in Main Rules will be in effect for it and it is gone for good). This is the rule I'd like to see what your opinion on the matter is; I understand wholeheartedly that Nuzlockes are meant to have anyone die at any time, but for a story I think it'd be nice to see if a fan favorite should pull through. I will figure out a system if no one objects to this rule, but the addendum of only one revive each is so I can't have a Pidove get killed three times, for instance. Well, four if I use the three revives on it and then let it get killed once more.

 **So those are the rules. I will make this story a SWxPokémon, but any mentions of Witches will not be made until later in the story. There will also be a Witch coming into the story before I take on the Striaton City Gym, so please take some guesses on who you'd think will be the first one introduced.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you think of this chapter as well as any advice you've got going into this adventure. As of right now, I have four Pokémon that you'll be meeting before I beat the Striaton City Gym, including my starter, so hang in there. Once the story catches up to my game progress, I will resume it and be able to utilize advice from you guys, so for now let me know about anything you think I should be aware of without completely spoiling game events.**

 **Thanks, and let the tales of the** _Wizard_ _of Unova_ **commence!**

* * *

 **Current stats:**

 **My Party:**

 **1)** "[REDACTED]" - Oshawott (F)

 **Badges:** 0/8

 **Deaths/Total Pokémon Owned:** 0/1


	2. Nanami and First Catch

**Hello, and welcome to the next chapter of** _The Wizard of Unova_ **.**

 **First off, I'd like to thank everyone who's read the first chapter. It seems like some people wanted to see more, so I'm going to oblige with this next chapter.**

 **So onwards to the reviews:**

 _Jeku_ _Kusanagi_ **: Thanks for the review, and it's good to see you again. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

 **...And now we're done with reviews for now.**

 _ **We think you're missing something still...**_

 **Hmm? Oh, well...right, some heads-up: we're going to be making some announcements at the end of each chapter, when applicable, and also be showing the party progress so far when we get the chance. Once we catch up, we'll be keeping a "live" count of levels and deaths (well, as "live" as you can get with a storylocke), so...yeah...**

 **Also, when we catch a new Pokémon, I'll be giving a quick rundown of what the name means as well as if it refers to anything. Same goes for any story elements introduced.**

 **Anyways, on to the next chapter!**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 2: Nanami and First Catch**

After the professor showed us (well, the others more than myself) how to catch a Pokémon, she said something about meeting us in Accumula Town. After that, Cheren mentioned that tall grass was where Pokémon popped out of. He and Bianca then left but not before Bianca issued a sort of fun challenge: catching as many Pokémon as possible on this route using our Poké Balls (speaking of, the professor gave us each five of those for catching). The person with the most Pokémon, including the one they got from Professor Juniper, won the challenge.

So I was busy looking around the nearby grass for Pokémon to find.

"I don't remember it being this hard to find one..." I admitted to myself as I searched. I couldn't even find a simple Pidgey or something...

Soon, I found a Pokémon, one I had no clue about. It looked a bit like a Rattata but brown and with a straight tail having a white sort of fluffy fan at the tip of it.

"What's that?" I asked myself as I fished around my pockets for the PokéDex, finding it in my left side pocket. I then pointed it at the Pokémon, the screen reading it as a Patrat. "Patrat, huh? Maybe this could work...I mean, I could just as easily find a better Pokémon, but...I do need at least one before I reach Accumula Town, so..." I grabbed Oshawott's Poké Ball and readied it. "Alright, you. Prepare to be mine!"

It took a few minutes, but Oshawott managed to weaken it enough for me to catch it, and soon I was the proud owner of...a Patrat.

...I forgot that I needed to think of a nickname for this one too...and I still needed to do Oshawott's as well...

"I'll head back home and rest really quick," I told myself. "Maybe Bianca forgot about the challenge by now..."

XXXXXXXXXX

Power-walking...is not easy...right now...

After getting back home (to a surprised Mom), I was now sitting on the couch as I was staring at my team so far, sitting comfortably(?) in their capsules.

Come on, I need a nickname for them...let's see...

You know, this doesn't really count as resting if they aren't moving around a bit.

I released them and watched as the Patrat went looking around the living room. Oshawott simply ended up sitting to my left.

"A name for a Water-type..." I tried telling myself. "What am I going to choose for her nickname? I don't know a lot of female names, again...and none of the ones I do know seem to be connected to water..."

"You know, I was always partial to 'Nanami' myself." a voice piped up.

"You know, that does seem to work out perfectly well. Thanks, Mom."

"Mom?"

...Wait a second!

"What are you thanking me for, sweetie?" Mom asked me as she popped her head out from upstairs.

"Erm...for cleaning my room?" I tried. "I'll come up and help out a bit before I go again."

"Alright." She went back to work fixing my room.

I then worked on figuring out what I heard. "So...who said that bit about the name then?"

"That would be me." The voice from before said. It sounded to be on my left, but that's where...Oshawott...was...

I looked over at Oshawott as she was standing there, looking a little cheerful. "Erm...did you just...?"

"Talk to you?" Oshawott asked me before shrugging her shoulders. "I guess. I'm a little surprised you could even understand me."

Okay...I have a talking Oshawott in my custody...what gives? "So...how are you...?"

"Oh, we're always able to talk, remember? To humans, though, we only really use our names to communicate. Well, most of them...you're an interesting exception."

"Meaning...?"

Oshawott grinned a bit. "Well, I sure am going to enjoy traveling with you, for starters." She then adjusted the "shell" on her stomach.

...You know what, that's fair. If I had known about the talking bit, then I might not have chosen her so easily... "So...would you like the name 'Nanami'?"

"Sure. It's your choice, though."

"...I'll choose it. My water-themed names list is not exactly a cornucopia of choices..."

Nanami (Oshawott's new name) nodded her head. "Speaking of, you still need to pick one out for our newest teammate. And she's a girl, before you just blurt out a random name."

"That one might be easier...I'll just choose Hermione." So Nanami and Hermione...two female Pokémon so far...please tell me I'll get a male soon...

XXXXXXXXXX

About half an hour later, and we were back on Route 1 as I was now making my way to the next town. Well, after taking a bit of a break to do some training to make Nanami and Hermione better.

"Hey, it's Roland!" Bianca announced as I made it to the end of the route. "What took you so long?"

"Training...and looking..." I told her. "You would not believe how hard it is to find a Pokémon around here..."

"I thought it was a bit strange myself," Cheren replied. "It took me ten minutes to find my first catch, and Bianca just recently got hers. Might be a popular spot to look for a first Pokémon to catch."

"So...I guess you two have two Pokémon each?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Same. I found a Patrat."

"That's good. Any nicknames?"

"Well, I gave Oshawott hers. She's now known as Nanami. My Patrat is Hermione."

"Sounds good." Soon, I could hear my Xtransceiver ringing. I think the others heard theirs as well. "Ah, someone's calling." Cheren and Bianca pulled out theirs from their bags, and I followed suit as I answered the call.

"Hello!" Professor Juniper said as we stood here. "How's everyone doing? You and your Pokémon are getting along great now, right?"

"Oh!" Bianca said quickly. "Professor!"

"I am currently in front of Accumula Town's Pokémon Center. I'd like to show you around, so hurry on over!" The professor then hung up.

"Well, I'm going on ahead," Cheren told us as he and Bianca went off into the town.

"Hey, wait up!" I shouted as I moved to catch up.

It took a few minutes, but I was soon at the Pokémon Center, with the professor standing in front of the entrance.

"Hey there, Roland," she greeted me. "I'd like to show you around a bit."

"Why?" I asked. "I know what these places do..."

"I know, but this isn't Kanto. We have ours structured differently."

"...Are there public restrooms?"

"Not like that. Here, I'll show you." She led me inside and took me to the front desk, where Bianca was waiting. "Roland, if you could do the honors..."

"Sure?" I looked over to Bianca. "Alright, this is a Pokémon Center, as you might already know. You come to this desk and you can use it to heal your Pokémon. All for free. Understood, Bianca?"

"A little..." Bianca told me. "Erm...could you show me really quick?"

"Right." I looked over to the Nurse Joy and, showing Bianca what she needed to do, healed my team back up to full strength.

"Now, I'll be waiting over at the PokéMart when you're ready to continue," Professor Juniper told me. "Could you show Bianca about some more of the features found here?"

"Okay." I watched as the professor left. "Alright, Bianca, follow me." I led her a little ways to the PC. "This is the PC. You can use it for free, and this is where your excess Pokémon get stored. You can even switch team members out using this thing."

"Alright," Bianca said. She seemed to be focusing her attention on the screen.

"Just note that you can only have six Pokémon at most with you. Any more captured while you have that amount on you get whisked into this." I used it a bit to show my friend. "And just in case, there's a professor PC button here so Professor Juniper can evaluate your PokéDex so far."

"...There's something called 'Someone's PC' on the screen," Bianca told me. "Who's Someone?"

"...Let's skip that one for now. I don't even know the person right now..."

"Oh."

I then started leading Bianca over to the door to take her to the PokéMart when I noticed that Professor Juniper was standing by a blue counter. Instinctively, I headed over there instead, bringing Bianca with me.

"Did you finish with your information-giving, Roland?" the professor asked me.

"For now, I guess," I told her. "So...what's this counter for?"

"Oh, this? Well, here in Unova, we have our PokéMarts inside our Pokémon Centers. You can buy and sell items here." She then clapped her hands together. "Alright, now that you know the basics, I'll be heading back to Nuvema Town. Oh, and one more thing...when you hit Striaton City, go meet an inventor named Fennel. She's an old friend of mine and I'm sure she'll help you on your way! Best of luck!" We then watched as the professor left to go back to her lab.

"I wonder what I should buy," Bianca told me. "I definitely need Potions and Poké Balls...erm...thinking..."

With a slight sigh, I went over and looked at their wares, buying five of each of the items Bianca listed. I then stored them in my backpack and, after saying bye to the blonde still thinking on what to buy, left the building.

To hear this: "Sounds like something's going on in the plaza!"

I got a little curious. What's going on in the plaza? Also, where's that?

I followed some boys who seemed to have been talking about it a while ago and soon found Cheren standing in front of a sort of grassy platform.

"Hey, Roland, come over here for a sec," Cheren told me as I approached him.

I looked at the platform and saw a bunch of people dressed in some weird gray uniforms. They all seemed to have red hair for some reason. Soon one of them in the middle moved to let a man wearing a golden yellow robe with green hair come to the front.

"My name is Ghetsis," the man started off by saying. "I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation." There were a few words wondering about his chosen topic, and Ghetsis paced to his left a bit. "I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However...is that really the truth?" What is he going on about? "Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans...only assume that this is the truth?" HE moved back into the center of the platform. "Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers...They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work...Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

As I heard more voices trying to think about what he just said, I raised my right hand slowly.

"What are you doing, Roland?" Cheren asked me in a whisper.

I chose to ignore him for now, saying to Ghetsis, "Sir, I want to talk to you more about that."

Ghetsis looked at me. "Oh? And what is your name, young man?"

"Roland...Mister Ghetsis."

"I see. Would you like to say something?"

"I wanted to say that I have seen people and Pokémon working together in harmony. We don't simply use them to abuse them."

"And yet you hold your 'partners' in those capsules against their will?" I grimaced. Considering I think I just chose to catch Hermione because she was my first encounter in Unova, how much of that rung true? "Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

"What could it be?" one voice asked.

"Liberation?" another tried.

"That's right!" Ghetsis said quickly. "We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon...and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention." We then watched as Ghetsis and his "men" left the platform, leaving us standing there.

"About that speech..." an old man asked us, "what do you think we should do?"

"Liberate Pokémon?" a younger man tried. "That's not even possible!"

We then watched as the crowd dispersed, leaving someone wearing a black cap and having green hair.

"Roland, what was that about?" Cheren asked me concerning my actions.

"Sorry," I told him. "But I was a Pokémon Champion, remember? It's not easy training your Pokémon to be their best."

"True, but you still could have done without talking to him." I looked away from him, something he noticed. "What's wrong?"

"I just...wondered if I should tell you something..." Should I tell him about Nanami talking?

"You should," Nanami said from inside her Poké Ball. "He's your friend, right?" Did she know what I was thinking of saying to Cheren?

Soon, the young man picked up on something and came over to me.

"Your Pokémon..." he said quickly. "Just now, it was saying..."

"Slow down," Cheren told him as we looked at him. "You talk too fast. And what's this about Pokémon...talking? That's an odd thing to say."

"Yes, they're talking."

"What did they say then?" I asked.

"'You should. He's your friend, right?' was what a female voice said just now," the young man revealed.

I was shocked Wait...how did he...?

"My name is N," the young man said, introducing himself. "It's interesting to meet a fellow Wizard." ...A what now?

"Alright...My name is Cheren," my friend started, "and this is Roland. We were asked to complete the PokéDex, and we just left on our journey. My main goal is becoming Champion, though."

"The PokéDex, eh? So you're going to confine many, many Pokémon in Poké Balls for that, then. I'm a Trainer too, but I can't help wondering...are Pokémon really happy that way?" He then stepped closer to me. "Well, Roland, is it? Let me hear your Pokémon's voice again!" He then backed up and pointed a finger ahead of him, sending out a weird cat-like creature. Using my PokéDex really quick, I learned that it was a Purrloin.

"Let me fight first," Nanami told me. "I'll show that Purrloin what for."

"Right," I said as I grabbed her Poké Ball and threw it out. "Let's go, Nanami!"

XXXXXXXXXX

And the battle ended with me winning; Nanami's Water Gun technique (learned during the training, now that I think about it) really came in quite handy for a surprise finish. Now I was standing there as N was busy tending to his KO'd Purrloin.

"That wasn't too hard..." Nanami told me as she looked up at me.

"May have been easy-like for you," I replied to her, "but..."

N looked at me and Nanami and said, "As long as Pokémon are confined in Poké Balls...they will never become perfect beings."

"Who needs perfect beings?" Nanami asked him. "I like myself just the way I am."

"Why are you acting like this?" I tried.

"Pokémon are my friends," N replied. "I have to change the world for them." He then walked away from us.

I stood there as I contemplated sending Nanami back into her Poké Ball before Ghetsis' words from before drifted into my mind.

 _I'm a Trainer too, but I can't help wondering...are Pokémon really happy being inside their Poké Balls?_

"Well, that certainly was strange..." Cheren told me as he soon came up to me. "Strange guy as well, talking about Wizards and all...I'm not going to worry about it, though. Trainers and Pokémon help each other out!" I chose to stay silent. "Roland?"

"Sorry, was thinking about something..." I told him quickly. What exactly was a Wizard, and why did it sound like N was intrigued by that part of me?

"Oh...listen, I'm going on ahead. I want to face the Gym Leader in the next town, Striaton City. When you're ready, head on over there." He then left.

"Is something wrong...Roland, right?" Nanami asked me as she turned her head to look at me.

"Might be..." I said to her. "I was thinking...do you feel comfortable in your Poké Ball?"

"Eh?" The Oshawott blinked. "Well, it could have a jungle gym or something inside it, but...I wouldn't say that I prefer living outside it or even inside my ball. Besides, you're my owner now. Have been since you chose me."

"Right..." I thought about it some more before reaching for Hermione's Poké Ball. "I think you and Hermione should stay out of your Poké Balls for now." I then brought out my recently-added teammate.

Nanami shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, it's your choice."

"Anyways, we should head to the Pokémon Center and heal you up. Wouldn't want you getting too hurt."

XXXXXXXXXX

Since it was getting rather late when I first started, I chose to stay inside the Pokémon Center for the night. I wasn't really the only one, thankfully; it seemed Trainers requested a room almost all the time, so they had spare rooms for them if needed.

Right now, it was just me laying here. Well, with me and my Pokémon team.

"It was kind of weird seeing you coming in here to sleep for the night, I'll admit," Bianca told me from across the room we were using.

...Right, I forgot: apparently when I came in Bianca was still contemplating what to buy. So I helped her get some Potions and Poké Balls of her own. After that, she got a little curious about why I had my Pokémon out, so I simply told her that I felt that they needed some exercise (of which Nanami complained about not being fat). I then asked her where she was heading next. She said that she wasn't going to be pressing onward for today and replied with asking me where I was staying for the night. That was when I told her of my plan (kind of on the fly; I was planning on going through Route 2 before stopping for the night, but since Bianca mentioned time...), and she said that we could share a room...before realizing what she said and trying to correct herself.

So long story short, we were in the same room...on opposite sides of the room. I laid on the side with the door, so...

"What, did you expect a sort of traveling monk coming in and asking for a place to meditate?" I tried.

"No, I mean I would have thought you would have been sleeping outside," the blonde clarified.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Eh, not going to be as much as I can. I don't really know the weather around here, so I'm playing it safe. Besides, Pokémon do come out at night, and I can't really be sure if I'll get attacked or not."

"Oh. Well, Hermione's just standing there watching the door..."

"Hmm?" I glanced over and saw the Patrat in question staring at the door, Nanami sound asleep behind her. "Oh, that? I think there's a reason why..." I rummaged around in a small pile I had next to my head for my PokéDex and, operating it, pulled up a Patrat's information and read it. "...She's probably going to be doing this for a while..." Apparently, they'll keep watch for days using food they store in their cheek pouches.

"Oh. Well, that's interesting at least. You have your own little watchman. I mean, watchwoman."

"True. Speaking of...what did you catch on Route One?"

"Oh, me?" Bianca sounded a bit hesitant. "Oh...it's nothing."

"What, your catch?"

"No, no! I meant to say that I wanted to keep it a surprise for later. After all, I wanted to see what happens along the way."

"Ah."

"Though...Roland, can you promise me something?"

"Hmm?" I sat up to look at her. "What is it?"

"It's nothing big, but...if you could...could you...tell me about your progress later on when you get a chance?"

"By Cross-Tranceiver? Sure." I laid back down. "Anyways, night, Bianca."

"Good night, Roland."

"Night, Hermione."

Hermione didn't reply.

...You know, I just realized something: I could talk to Nanami but...is she the only one I could hold a conversation with? Or are there others like her? Or is it any Pokémon willing to talk to me?

I shrugged my shoulders. I'll worry about that in the morning.

"Night, Nanami," I added before closing my eyes and falling asleep.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **...And we've reached the end of the second chapter.**

 **So just to go over some notes here:**

 **1) "Wizard": Given this is a crossover with** _Strike Witches_ **, those who have watched that series should understand this, and even if you haven't you should be aware of what it means normally. In this story, this refers to a male version of a Witch, which will lead us to the next note:**

 **1.a) "Witch": In the context of this story, a Witch/Wizard is essentially someone who can communicate with Pokémon. Well, that's all I can really say for now, but the first Witch to make her appearance will be explaining a bit more about the concept of a Witch/Wizard in this setting, so I'll be expanding this sort of thing along the way.**

 **2) The Pokémon's personalities: Now, weirdly enough, I'm not really going off by their Nature or characteristic since I feel that I'd probably end up having a team of nothing but Adamants or Jollys (and I know this looks like it's spelled wrong, and it is, but this made more sense than 'Jollies'), so at this point I'll be making characteristics based on how I'd see someone like them act. Though then again a Scottish accent on one of them does seem interesting...speaking of, if you have any advice on how to approach that sort of speaking (or just want to let me know what you think of the idea), feel free to do so. Any feedback I get will help.**

 **And that's it for the notes.**

 **Anyways, please read, respond, and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**

 **Thanks, and I'll see you later.**

* * *

 _Pokémon Names (Nanami and Hermione)_

 _Nanami – Japanese word for "seven seas" (I think; could be different meanings base don kanji, if applicable); could also be a reference to Takumi's sister Nanami, from Chaos;Head._

 _Hermione – named after Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. In-game, name is spelled "Hermoine" (must fix that once we find the Name Rater…in Castelia City…Gym #3…hope readers understand. Apart from that…whoops?)._


	3. Scamp and an Odd Girl

**Hello, and welcome to the third chapter of my storylocke** _The Wizard of Unova_ **.**

 **Now, just in case you got this in a notification and wanted a different story to be updated, I will be explaining about my current situation in this chapter, so I hope you understand when I get there.**

 **Now with that out of the way, let's tackle the reviews:**

 _Gamerman22_ **: As stated above, I have things going on, but I did manage to get the next chapter completely drafted, so it should be out soon. Not to say that I was stuck on writing it, but again life...and procrastination...Yeah, not too proud of it. Still, please be patient, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **...And that's the replies so far...well, reply...**

 **Anywho, let's see what this chapter has in store after the last one...**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 3: Scamp and an Odd Girl**

Early the next day, I found myself standing in front of the building connecting Accumula Town with Route 2.

"Heh, you two ready?" I said to my Pokémon.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Nanami told me, standing on the ground to my left.

Hermione simply nodded her head from her perch on my right shoulder.

"Well, I'll take her answer as a yes," I said quickly. "So...on with the traveling!"

"Speaking of, why are we out this early in the morning?" Nanami asked. "You barely had time to say goodbye to...Bianca, wasn't that her name?"

I blinked. "Uh, yeah, that was her name." I then nervously scratched my right cheek as I put on a goofy grin. "I mean, we do need to train up for Striaton City's gym, right? So why not start early?"

Nanami gave me one of those looks that seemed to bore into my soul. "You sure about that?"

"No, really, I'm fine..." I chuckled nervously.

"You don't look like it."

I sighed and relaxed. "Fine...you want to know?"

XXXXXXXXXX

 **[Earlier]**

 _For some reason, I was standing in a sort of ruin looking on as two gigantic Pokémon, one black, one white, and both looking like they were dragons, started battling each other. On the other side was that man from before, N. He was simply looking at me, like I was supposed to be doing something._

 _"How many Pokémon did you let die before this moment?" he asked me. "Ten? Twenty? Thousands? All for what, a chance to see Reshiram and Zekrom fight? And what about your starter? Was her death vital to your cause?"_

 _"You leave Nanami out of this!" I yelled out, against my own will. "I tried, dammit! I really did!"_

 _"You believed that Pokémon and humans could still be equals with the way things are, yet you led your so-called 'equals' to their deaths. And what of your cousin, the one who gave it her all despite the losses she had?"_

 _"You're not so high and mighty yourself! You killed some of my Pokémon when you could have easily spared them."_

 _"Yet you were the one who chose to keep them fighting." I watched as the dragons continued their feud. "So in the end, who's truly at fault?"_

 _I then watched as a bolt of blue lightning crashed into the ground, knocking me off my feet and making me fly into some sort of black abyss. The last thing I saw was the black dragon at the edge of the ruin, its back to me._

I then woke up with a startled cry. My heart was racing in my chest.

Was that just a dream? Who were those Pokémon? The N in my dream called them "Reshiram" and "Zekrom", but...who was who? Also, what did he mean, "how many Pokémon did I let die"?

He said Nanami had died, though...

I looked over at my Oshawott, who was busy sleeping still as Hermione was still on guard.

"Morning, Hermoine," I told the Patrat quickly to say hi to her. She gave me no real response except for a nod of acknowledgement. "Well, I'll take that as a 'morning' as well." I then looked over to Nanami some more. "Did anything happen to Nanami last night?" Hermione shook her head. "Oh. Well, thanks for the heads-up..." I then glanced over at Bianca, who was still sleeping peacefully as she chose to have her Tepig out of its Poké Ball to lay down near her.

What should I do? Should I wake Bianca up and talk to her about the dream?

I shook my head. I wasn't sure, but I've never personally heard of Trainers' Pokémon dying in battle. We're usually so careful...

But N had said in my dream that I let mine die...

Regardless, I can't have her worry about what could happen.

Grabbing my stuff next to me, I got up and went out of the room to get dressed in peace.

XXXXXXXXX

 **[Present]**

"You didn't even get to say goodbye to her, you know..." Nanami added once I finished that tale for now.

"Look who's talking..." I couldn't help but retort with.

"Hey, we didn't have much time to say goodbye before we started, thank you so very much!"

I sighed. "Anyways, let's just go and see what happens next, shall we?"

Nanami huffed as she started walking towards the building. Hermione chose to crawl up my body to find a perch on my right shoulder for now before I went off to follow my Oshawott.

It took a few minutes before I chose to stop and look at the weather, simply telling me that it was sunny on the route. I then went out and looked out at Route 2.

"I hope it's not going to be as hard to find Pokémon to join our team," I said before my X-transceiver started going off. "Huh? Who's calling right now?"

"Probably Bianca..." Nanami ad-libbed as I pulled out the X-transceiver and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Roland!" Mom's voice called out from the device. "It's me. How are things right now?"

"Um...fine? I reached Accumula Town yesterday and was going to make my way to Striaton City."

"Ah. Are you and your Pokémon getting along?"

Does Nanami seeming to be upset right now count? "...Yes?"

"I was going to talk to you, which was why I called, but I'm going to hang up now."

"...Why?" *CLICK* "Um...hello?"

"Hello, dear." Her voice sounded suspiciously closer now...

I turned around and soon came face-to-face with Mom. Instinctively, I jumped back in shock. "Ah! Don't do that!"

"Sorry, but I saw you here so I had to hang up. The professor did say you would be heading to Striaton City by now, so I had to catch up."

"For what?" I relaxed a bit.

"These." She pulled out a box of shoes and showed them to me before handing them over. "They're Running Shoes."

Running Shoes?

...

I NEEDED THEM!

"Uh, thanks," I told her as I put them on, taking off my old shoes. They ended up looking black with some green along the edges. "These should definitely help with my journey."

"I'm glad to hear it, honey. They can get you places in a flash. They did come with some strange instructions, though..."

"Instructions?" I looked in the box and found a piece of paper. Pulling it out, I took a quick look. "'Hold the B Button to run faster than normal. Put on the Running Shoes and tear around to your heart's content!'" I then looked at Mom. "Okay...I'd say they're weird. I don't have a Be Button, do I?"

"No, honey. Anyways, I had these for a long time when I bought them, but I didn't get them out until yesterday. Well, I found them while cleaning..."

"...Hooray for cleaning?"

"Anyways, you do remember that you're never really alone, right?"

"Yeah. Pokémon, friends, and you, right?"

Mom giggled a bit. "Yep. There's the little champion I remember."

"I'm not even close to being able to take on the Elite Four, Mom..."

"Still, you did have a similar start back when you were ten or so, so..."

"Right...anyways, was that it?"

"Yep. Good luck, honey. I'll be rooting for you."

"Thanks, Mom." I then watched as she left before turning to Nanami. "Anyways..." I stopped. She was busy in the grass, just standing there. "Nanami! What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for something in the grass," she told me. "Duh."

"You know that you can't just simply go in there!" I ran over and started moving through the grass. "There could be more Pokémon in there than back on Route One, you know!"

"Why would you care then? It's not like I can't handle them."

"That's not the point! I really don't need you just-" I caught myself.

"Just what?"

I stopped and looked as she turned to look at me. "Just...I dunno, get hurt or something."

"Please...I'm under your wing. I'm safe, aren't I?"

What about the dream, then? I started to move towards her again. "That doesn't mean you can just-" I then felt my right foot catch something before I found myself falling to the ground face first. "Ow..."

"Oi! Watch where yer going, you stupid human brat!" a new voice, a sort of male squeaky one, snapped. "I'm tryna walk here!"

"I'm sorry, mister..." I sat up and turned to see what I tripped over before seeing a sort of feline creature. Reaching for my PokéDex, I placed it as a Purrloin upon scanning it. "...Purrloin?"

"Hey, what kind of crap are ye pulling anyways? I have a name, you know. It's..." The Purrloin then proceeded to make some funny noises that I could not even make any sense of. "Ye got that?"

"Maybe?" How was I going to call him by a name I couldn't even begin to practice saying?

The Purrloin growled before saying, "Is that really the best ye can do? I mean, come on! I've seen Trainers better than ye, and me home's been here since I was born!" We then watched as a compact-sized Poké Ball rolled into view, catching the Purrloin's eyes. "Wait, is that a...?" His eyes then widened quite a bit. "Ball!" He then proceeded to run over and start playing with it, batting it from left to right and even managing to juggle it with his feet.

I could only sit there in shock. He does know that's not a real...

*CLICK!*

XXXXXXXXXX

I soon reached Striaton City's Pokémon Center and healed my team about an hour later.

"That was still a dirty trick ye pulled..." the Purrloin from before told me in a displeased tone. Apparently, since playing with the Poké Ball and being caught by it, he had pinned his "imprisonment" on me, saying that it was a cheap method of catching him.

"You fell for it without my help!" I protested loudly. I soon noticed some people staring at me.

...Right, it's not normal for Trainers to know exactly what their Pokémon just said, is it?

"So anyways," the Purrloin continued as he huffed. "Ye didn't happen to have a dumb name for me, do you?"

Dumb?

"Well, there was one name I did have in mind..." I admitted. "But it was for a Lillipup..."

"What's that?"

"...Scamp?"

The Purrloin, Scamp, looked at me in shock. "Yer giving me a name for a Lillipup? What the hell kind of Trainer does that?!"

"Did you want 'Cat' or something?"

"At least that would have made more sense!"

"Okay, you two," Nanami chose to interrupt. "Cool it."

"'Cool it'?" Scamp turned to face the Oshawott. "Ye were having a bit of a tiff with him not even an hour ago!"

"It was not a 'tiff'. Besides, you weren't there for the full story."

Why does it feel like I don't want to know what happens next?

Hermione simply sat there, staring at the other Trainers using the center.

"Anyways..." I said quickly. "The gym was here according to Cheren, right? So let's get prepped and go."

XXXXXXXXXX

"What do you mean, he's not here?!" I found myself shouting at the person standing in front of the gym.

"I mean that he's not here," the person, a middle-aged man wearing shades, told me. "He could be over in the Trainers' School right now. Why don't you just check there? It's not too far."

"I don't need the school! I need the Gym Leader!" I then sighed in irritation. "Alright, I'll go check on the...Trainers' School. After some training. I plan on taking him or her on as soon as I can."

XXXXXXXXXX

Sitting out by the entrance to Striaton City, I looked at the grass.

"Doubts?" Scamp asked me.

"Not quite," I told him. "Just trying to think about how well you'll fare here. I need you to get stronger because of the gym. I think Nanami and Hermione can handle themselves, but you're new here, so..."

"Ah. Rookies need to prove their worth, eh?" Scamp then looked at the grass. "Alright, then. Allow me to show ye how we Purrloin do things 'round here!" We soon spotted a Lillipup in there. "Alright, I'll take this guy on!" I watched as he scratched his opponent a few times before defeating the Lillipup. "See! I told ye I could!"

"Uh, good? Just...try getting to Nanami's and Hermione's level..."

"Oh, this will be too easy!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Stop growling, ye stupid little...!" Scamp said in frustration as he found it difficult to take out a Purrloin easily.

"Why don't you just switch out?" I tried. "You've got-"

"I've got it! Just...need some time..." He got in a lucky shot and finished. "Man, that was hard...but I think I have an idea of what I could do now..." We then saw a Patrat next. "Hmm, let's see now...what can I pull out of me memories?"

Memories?

I watched as Scamp sat there a bit before he thought of something: he then wiggled his tail a bit.

"...Tail Whip?' I asked. "Really?"

"Hey, let me remember!" the Purrloin snapped as he tried again. He then ran over and bit down on the Patrat. "Much better!"

...When did Purrloin learn Bite?

He then tried a few Leers before he scratched his opponent. It took a bit longer before he managed to beat his opponent and he turned his head to look at me.

"I have an attack that allows me to pull a random move from any of the others," he told me matter-of-factly.

"...How useful is that?" I tried.

Scamp looked offended. Well, as much as a Purrloin could get, at least. "It's got its uses!"

"Alright, let's just keep going with your training, Scamp," Nanami replied as she and Hermione were perched on one of my shoulders each. "And Roland? Let's just try to make sure he's ready for our opponents."

"Speaking of...who are we facing?" I asked her.

"Oi, I can answer that for ye," Scamp said. "I've heard Trainers talk about them. There are three of them, in fact: Cilan, Cress, and Chili. Apparently, a Trainers' starter Pokémon determines who ye go up against."

"And who do we face?"

"With Nanami, we get Cilan."

So type advantage for the first gym regardless of which starter one had? Good thing I have a team with different types to handle that situation. Well, anyone not Water-typed. "Alright. We just train and prepare for Cilan then."

"Excuse me," a voice asked from behind me.

"Hey, Bianca," I said quickly as I turned to look at the person who spoke, "I didn't think you'd catch up that…easily…" I stopped and stared at the person.

It definitely wasn't Bianca, and it wasn't Cheren either.

Standing in front of me was a young girl wearing a sort of sailor's jacket or something that seemed to be too big for her, making it look like a dress of sorts. Covering her feet were a pair of brown loafers, and in her arms was a pink Pokémon.

"Did I accidentally interrupt something?" the girl asked. She seemed innocent enough with auburn hair that seemed to remind me of a boy's haircut for some reason and brown eyes. Slung on her left shoulder was a brown satchel bag, most likely carrying her supplies.

"Hmm?" I asked in return before I shook my head. "Oh, not really. I was just training my team here."

"Your team?" The girl looked at Scamp, who was busy tangoing with a new Purrloin. "Oh, I see. You're preparing for Striaton City's Gym, right?"

"Yeah."

"Cool." She then blinked. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Yoshika, and this is…Yusu…"

"Yusu?" I looked at the pink Pokémon in her arms. "Is that what it's called?"

"No, silly. She's a Happiny. Dad gave me her as an egg, and I barely hatched her a while ago."

"Interesting, I guess. She looks like a small version of Chansey."

"Last I checked, she does evolve into one…but I need to find an Oval Stone."

"Huh. Sounds difficult…anyways, I'm Roland. Those guys are Nanami the Oshawott…" Nanami was standing near Scamp's battle, ready to hop in should he need it. "…Hermione the Patrat, and Scamp the Purrloin."

"Scamp? Isn't that a name better suited for a Lillipup?"

"See?!" Scamp called out.

"Yeah, I already heard that before, if I recalled correctly," I told her. "Anyways, is Yusu the only one you have?"

"Oh. No, I do have one more." She placed Yusu on the ground and reached into her bag before pulling out a Poké Ball and tossing it into the air. "Come on out!" The Poké Ball opened to release a sort of blue penguin standing on the ground.

…I just remembered I had a PokéDex, so I better use it to get some data. Turning it on once I pulled it out, the only thing I got was the following: "Pokémon unidentified. Please upgrade."

Unidentified? How the hell…?

Wait, aren't these things usually region-locked for what gets showed until later? Hang on, they should be able to at least give me a damn name!

I "gently" (and by that, I thumped the side of it a lot) persuaded the device to work, and it finally did: all it displayed was "Piplup."

"Roland, meet Neptune, my Piplup," Yoshika announced.

"Yo," Neptune said in English.

…Well, I can mark "Neptune" to my list of "Pokémon I'm Able to Understand"…along with Nanami and Scamp.

"Hey there," I greeted. "I'm Roland."

"Neptune," the Piplup said proudly. "I'm Yoshika's starter."

I nodded my head. "Well, you just keep her safe and work with her. She does sound like a good Trainer."

"Roger, dood!"

…What? That was a weird thing that happened…didn't imagine myself hearing a Piplup saying "dood"…

"Oh, um…do you mind if I watch your team train?" Yoshika asked me. "I was thinking of taking on the Gym, but I wanted to get some more training in for Yusu."

"Sure, I guess," I replied. "I'm just prepping Scamp a bit more. You can train alongside me, if you want."

Yoshika nodded in agreement. "Alright."

XXXXXXXXXX

It took a while to get Scamp a few more experience in fighting, my audience (consisting of a young girl, a Happiny, and a Piplup) watching, before going up against Cilan. I also managed to work in a system of having Hermione backing Scamp up in case he got too tired.

"Yeesh," Scamp groaned as he was soon standing there, Hermione having taken care of another Lillipup (I'm surprised she doesn't even make a sound when getting hit, which is more than what I can say for Scamp). "I'm turning into a punching bag here. Me body's not going to last much longer."

"Is Scamp alright?" Yoshika asked me as she noticed Scamp's condition.

"I'm not sure," I told her. Looking at my Purrloin, I added, "Do you need to get back to the Pokémon Center for some healing?"

"I'm fine, kid," Scamp replied curtly. "Me body's not that frail! I just need to catch me breath, that's all..." Scamp then plopped down onto the ground. "Oi..."

"Hang on," Yoshika told me as she went over to Scamp and looked him over. "Let me help out."

"I don't need yer help, lass. I'm just fine on me own..."

"Hold on, I'll fix that for you." She rummaged around in her bag for a bit.

"Are ye daft, lass? I said I'm fine!" Scamp then looked to me. "Tell 'er I'm alright, kid."

"You're not fine, Scamp. Just let me find something, alright?" Yoshika was still looking in her bag before she gasped. "I ran out of Potions."

"I think I still have a few left from training before meeting you," I told her as I checked my bag. I only found one Potion, though. Plus a Full Heal I must have picked up unconsciously. "...Well, that was not as much as I'd like...let me just-"

"I've got it, Roland." She rested her hands on Scamp's back and seemed to take some labored breaths before I noticed a sort of soft white glow envelop her and Scamp. I then watched for a bit before she stopped and, taking her hands off the Purrloin, looked at me. "He's all better...Roland..." She looked to be out of breath.

...What in the world did she...? "What was...?"

"That?"

"...Yeah. I mean, that was great and all, but..."

Yoshika nodded in understanding. "I guess I should explain a bit while our Pokémon train some more. Yusu, Neptune, you two ready to train?"

Yusu nodded her head.

"Ready, ma'am!" Neptune replied with a salute with one of his flippers.

"You okay to continue, Scamp?" I asked my Purrloin.

"Yeah," he said. "I actually feel a whole lot better now...Thanks, lass."

"You're welcome, Scamp."

...Okay...what?

"Hang on, you can understand him?" I asked her in shock.

"Hmm?" Yoshika replied in confusion. "Do you?"

"...This is going to get trippy real fast...first that N guy, then this..."

Yoshika tilted her head to one side. "N?"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **...And there's the third chapter.**

 **Should go over some more notes here just in case:**

 **1) Scamp's dialect: It's not perfect, but I thought it was a good idea to have one of the Pokémon have a sort of Scottish-sounding voice. I mean, so far we've had a silent Patrat and a "normal-sounding" Oshawott, so this felt like a bit of a change in pace. Still, I'm not an expert at this, so if you have experience with writing this sort of dialect or have some notes for me, I'd really appreciate it.**

 **2) Neptune's speech pattern: ...I don't really remember why exactly I chose to do it, but the "dood" at the end of some of this little Piplup's sentences is based on how a Prinny from the** _Disgaea_ **series speaks...dood. Strangely enough, when watching some gameplay of one of the** _Prinny_ **games, I listened to some of the dialogue and they don't seem to make it every sentence. Thoughts? Let me know.**

 **3) Yoshika: Finally, we've gotten the first Witch to appear. Her Pokémon choices were a bit of a no-brainer in a way: I gave her a Piplup due to the region she's from, and the Happiny was because...well, if Nurse Joy can have a bunch of Chansey helping out in the Pokémon Centers why can't a young girl with healing magic not have one? Also, whether she uses her magic or not in the story is irrelevant: in-game, I'm usually heading back to the Pokémon Center if I don't have enough potions. As her magic is healing, this makes sense to have her use it every now and then for the sake of story-telling.**

 **And that's all for notes right now.**

 **Anyways, I have been busy with things in life, but I will save those for the update to SH3, which I will go ahead and say that it will be out by 10 p.m on October 16 Pacific time. Until then, there will be also be an update that will start the second arc of** _Witches of Gamindustri: Rise of Neuroi_ **, but that will most likely be Friday around the same time, if not alongside SH3's, so please in tight.**

 **Also, if you happen to see names that you recall from other series, I will point them out inside the section below. This is for if someone asks about where they saw a name before, so if you don't have this question then please pay this no mind.**

 **Anyways, please read and respond and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Next time...well, I think anyone who's played the game before or seen it coming knows what's up next.**

 **Oh, and before I forget: I'm going to be asking this question across some of the other stories I have, but I am completely curious about it:** **what was the first story you've read that was made by me, and how did you come across it? Alternately, if you don't want to answer that or don't recall which one or how, then what did you like (or currently like) about my stories? I hope to hear from you guys, but remember that this is optional. As long as you enjoyed this chapter, that's good enough for me.**

 **Thanks so much for reading this, and I will be catching you guys later!**

* * *

 _Pokémon Names (Scamp, Yusu, and Neptune)_

 _Scamp – named after Scamp, Lady and Tramp's son. Originally wanted to name a Lillipup this, but…well, my first encounter in the area was a Purrloin, so yeah...a bit ironic, huh?_

 _Yusu – name based on Doran Maya's "Legendary Witches" series; nickname of Yoshika's ancestor in that series, Yoshika._

 _Neptune – named after Neptune, the Emporleon in my Pokémon Diamond run. Name was based off both HDN's Neptune and RWBY's Neptune Vasillias (check spelling). Plus, the line has a Water typing._


	4. Witches and Cheren

**Hello, and welcome to the next chapter of** _The Wizard of Unova_ **!**

 **Alright, when we last left off, our...well, "hero"...I don't know what to say about how to describe him beyond that...**

 **Anyways, we last left him while he was training his team as well as meeting a young girl named Yoshika. Now, it's time to see just how much farther this "rabbit hole" goes...**

 **...**

 _ **Wouldn't it be a "Patrat hole" or a "Diggersby hole"?**_

 **...Let's just...move on...**

 **Right, first the reviews!**

 _kineke13_ **: I think I already answered you on that, but I'd have to check. For now, I'm going to assume that I did not and reply with this: my current schedule is probably not going to let me do much with watching, especially as for some reason my tablet stopped being able to play from most video sites apart from YouTube or a site that works (I managed it for Mob Psycho 100). Even then, my backlog is jammed by the HDN anime...which I _STILL_ need to finish! *cough* Ahem...after that will most likely be Brave Witches so I can see what the "hype" is about (I'm not sure if there is one, but when you're asked about it a lot lately you'd probably see into it). Maybe I can even cover it in Project GS when I get a chance...though it'd be a bit weird for me to cover that when I haven't even covered the Strike Witches anime seasons as well as the movie (Also, as of this A/N, I am currently on Episode 8 of HDN, so it's only a matter of time before I finish it and get to BW...sorry, Brave Witches. Not a great idea to use that abbreviation in this particular story at the moment).**

 **As for the rest of the review, let's see here...yep, the first Witch has made her appearance. There will be others (in fact, one of them takes the place of an NPC later on for plot convenience [ _SPOILER!_ ]), but I am planning on pacing them out. Can't reveal all of them in one go...Anyways, thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

 **Now we get to the meat and potatoes...well, mostly words, actually...**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 4: Witches and Cheren**

"So what exactly happened back then?" I started off as Yoshika and I were sitting on a patch of grass watching our teams train.

"With the healing?" Yoshika replied. "Oh. I just used some healing magic. Nothing too special..." She then blushed a bit.

"...You know, usually a Pokémon would be able to do that, not a human girl."

"I know. It's a bit weird, but...I'm what's called a Witch."

"Witch?"

"Uh-huh. Witches, or Wizards in the case of males, have a few unique gifts given to them when they're born. All Witches and Wizards shared some traits, though, like understanding Pokémon. The unique traits depends on the family, though. My mom's a Witch as well, and so's my grandma on my mom's side. They had healing magic, which is what got passed down to me."

"Oh." Witches and Wizards...I wonder if Cheren's heard of them before? Probably not given how he reacted to N back in Accumula Town. Wait, didn't N mention the word "Wizard" when we met?

"Yeah...I'm hoping to be like my mom and grandma and help Pokémon." She then smiled. "So what about you?"

"Um...well...I'm been sent by Professor Juniper to collect some data...which does involve...catching Pokémon against their will..."

Yoshika raised an eyebrow as her smile faltered. "Against their will?"

"Right, you weren't there, were you?"

"Where?"

"The rally with that man, Ghetsis..."

"Oh. That rally?"

"Yeah..."

Yoshika seemed to think it over before she patted her right hand into the palm of her left hand. "Oh! So that's why you look familiar...I've been thinking about it since I found you. You were the boy who told him what you thought, right?"

"...Yes..." Hold on, she was at that rally? Why didn't I see her before, then?

"Oh. You know, I don't really agree with him all too much. I mean, I do see where he got at saying that we do use them by giving selfish commands, but...I don't consider Yusu or Neptune as anything but friends. I came to Unova to see what I could learn from others outside my home region, but if people like Ghetsis exist...even if they're doing what they think is right..."

"...Do you know anything about a boy named N?"

"Hmm..." Yoshika seemed to think about the name a bit. "I think I have, but...I can't really say I remember anything about what I learned at the moment."

"Oh. Well, I hope you learn all you can."

"Thanks, Roland. I hope you beat the Gym when you get there." Yoshika smiled.

"Thanks...let's keep training for about thirty more minutes, alright?" I turned to see the Pokémon. "You guys okay with that?"

"Sure thing, kid," Scamp replied as Hermione downed yet another Purrloin. "Me and the Patrat lass here are handlin' ourselves just fine."

Hermione looked at me and nodded her head.

"I could go for a while longer," Nanami added.

"We can keep going no problem, dood," Neptune included.

Yusu hopped around happily.

"I guess that's decided," I concluded. "Let's keep going."

"Right!" Yoshika replied.

XXXXXXXXXX

After the allotted time, we stopped and headed to the Pokémon Center to get everyone healed up before I decided to pay that visit to the Trainers' School.

Well, after a run back to Accumula Town for some more Potions (apparently, the store in Striaton didn't carry any. Did carry some Heal Balls, though...), which took about two hours for the whole trip. It was now nighttime when Yoshika and I finally reached it.

"Trainers' School?" the young girl with me asked.

"That man said I should check here," I told her. "Dunno why, but..." I chose to keep my Pokémon in their capsules for the time being, Yoshika taking it as her cue but only putting Neptune in, choosing to hold Yusu in her arms. "You don't have to come in with me."

"It's alright, I wanted to see if I could learn a bit about battling other Trainers, that's all."

"...Don't you have some experiences with that?"

"Not really..." Yoshika chuckled nervously. "I mean, I've been nervous since I got here, so..."

"...That sounds odd...anyways, let's head in then," I went up to the door and opened it.

What greeted me next was...a bit strange: there was an entry area that led to the larger "classroom", with some L-shaped desks arranged ahead of a blackboard. There were some people moving around, and there was an elderly man in a brown hat nearby.

"Welcome to the Trainers' School," he greeted. "You can learn the basics of being a Trainer here."

"Uh, thanks," I told him before I found a familiar face in front of the blackboard. "Hey, Cheren!"

"Friend of yours?" Yoshika asked me as Cheren turned his head to look at us.

"Huh?" Cheren asked before he recognized me. "Oh, Roland. Good to see you made it here."

"Yeah." I replied as we walked over to him while he turned around completely. "I spent last night in the Accumula Town Pokémon Center with Bianca."

Cheren smiled a bit. "Bianca? How is she so far?"

"...I actually...don't know...I left before she woke up this morning."

His smile faltered and turned into a frown. "Oh. That doesn't seem to lead to good things, you know..."

"Yeah, yeah." I chose to dismiss it, but I couldn't help but worry about what he said. I hope Bianca doesn't try hurting me or something...like tripping into me or something...

Cheren then noticed Yoshika. "Oh. It seems you met a new girl."

"Hmm?" I blinked. "Oh, we met when I was doing some training for the first Gym."

"I see." He then gave off a quick bow to Yoshika. "My name's Cheren."

"Yoshika," the girl with me replied as she gave off a short curtsy (with no arm movement). "This is Yusu." She nodded down to her Happiny.

"A Happiny? Interesting."

"Hang on, how do you know that without her asking you?" I asked him. "I had to thump my PokéDex a bit to even get it to say the name 'Piplup'."

"I did do some research, remember?"

...Fair point. "Anyways, why are you here?" If he did research on Pokémon, why does he need tips on battling?

"Oh, just wanted to brush up on some tips. Say...this is kinda weird to ask, but...do you mind having a battle with me?"

"Hmm?" I pointed my right index finger towards the ground. "You mean, right now?"

"Yeah. I want to get some experience fighting in a battle before I take on the Gym Leader. So...?"

"Ooh, this should be fun," Yoshika added as she took a seat at a desk.

"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you when I say that I'll win," I replied as I grabbed Scamp's Poké Ball.

"Okay, let's see how well I can do with items...or without...not sure right now." He then grabbed a Poké Ball and sent it out. "Go, Snake."

"Ready!" Snake the Snivy said in a male voice.

"Let's go then, Scamp!" I called out as I sent my chosen Pokémon out.

"Oi," Scamp said as he appeared. "Ye look like ye need to be shown how a Purrloin fares in a duel, kid."

"Just start."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Scamp, use Sand Attack!"

Scamp kicked up some sand (well, dirt since we were indoors) that seemed to make Snake lose eye contact a bit.

"Snake, Tackle!" Cheren called out.

Snake's attack connected hard, making Scamp give out a yelp of pain.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, just a lucky shot, that's all," Scamp replied.

"Same thing!"

"You got it!" He kicked up some more dirt.

"Tackle!" Cheren repeated.

Scamp barely managed to avoid being hit directly, taking a glancing blow instead as he dodged.

The next few moments got a bit...hectic as we both gave orders.

"Scamp, use Scratch."

"Snake, Tackle."

"Close one there. Use Scratch again."

"Tackle."

"Scamp, let me heal you up really fast." I used a Potion on Scamp.

"Leer."

"Assist!" (Scamp used Leer).

"Tackle."

"Assist again!" (Scamp used Bite).

This ended up beating Snake, as he fainted.

"Good work, Scamp," I congratulated the Purrloin as Cheren recalled his fainted Pokémon.

"No problem, kid," Scamp replied. "Just some Sand Attacks to lower his aim. Now who's next?"

"Go, Sid!" Cheren called out as he sent out a Purrloin of his own.

"A mirror match? Please! I'm much better than ye."

"Wanna bet, mate?" Sid replied.

"Alright, Scamp, Sand Attack once more," I ordered.

"Sid, Assist," Cheren added (Sid used Leer).

"Scamp, one more time."

"Scratch." This got Scamp on the side of his left hind leg.

"Assist." (Scamp used Water Sport...which is pointless in this situation).

"Sid, Growl." Scamp sidestepped his opponent as Sid tried getting in his face.

"Assist once more." (Scamp used Tail Whip).

"Growl." Another miss.

"Alright, now Scratch."

"Assist." (Sid used Leer).

"Scratch again." Sid started looking tired.

"Assist once more, Sid." (Sid used Leer).

"Alright, finish this with Scratch."

Sid soon plopped onto his side, unconscious.

"Alright, you weren't kidding about that," Cheren mentioned as he recalled his Pokémon. "Then again, that's what I'd expect from an ex-Champion. Though you might want to avoid using Assists as often as you can, and probably not repeated."

"True...I never knew that such a move existed until recently..."

"That was amazing, you two!" Yoshika said from her seat to the left of me, in the front row. She looked excited.

"Heh, thanks, Yoshika." I smiled a bit.

"Thanks for watching us, Yoshika," Cheren told her before he realized something. "Oh, right, I should hand you something." He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out some Oran Berries, giving them to me. "Your Pokémon can hold berries and use them in battle when needed. These heal them a bit. Just avoid giving them anything man-made, like Potions; they can't use them."

"Hey, I have a perfectly functioning set of paws, thanks!" Nanami said from inside her Poké Ball.

Luckily, Cheren didn't hear her. "Well, good luck with your Gym challenge."

"Alright. Take care, then." I walked outside, Yoshika joining me some time later.

"So where are you going now?" she asked me.

"I need to get Scamp healed up," I replied. "I guess we'll take five at the Center and go for Cilan tomorrow. Say...what about you?"

"Oh, I was going to watch your battle tomorrow..." Yoshika took a sudden interest in her hands. "But I was also considering trying to find a new Pokémon..."

"I don't really mind if you watch or not. If searching for new Pokémon helps you learn more about the region or life in general, then by all means..."

Yoshika nodded happily. "Thanks!"

We left the School and were making our way to the Center when I noticed that a new person was standing in front of the Gym. "Hey, why did the person change out...?" I ran over to see who this new person was, Yoshika following as closely as she could.

When I reached the person, I could see that he was a green-haired man wearing a sort of chef's outfit. Or was it a waiter's?

"Hmm?" the man started as he noticed us coming. I soon stopped in front of him. "Welcome to the Striaton City Gym. You didn't really need to run all the way over here."

"Sorry..." I said, taking deep breaths. "But...I was hoping...to see the Gym Leader...before I turned in...for the night..."

"Gym Leader?" The man gave it a bit of thought before he had an answer. "Oh, you're here to challenge the Gym, right?"

"Yeah..." Yoshika came to a stop behind me.

"Alright, before we go any farther, what was the first Pokémon you chose?"

What does...just do like the person asked and figure it out later. Not like I couldn't defend myself anyways... "Um...this one." I pulled Nanami's Poké Ball out and brought her into the open.

"An Oshawott?" the man asked me. "Alright, I see it's weak to Grass-type Pokémon. I'd say you should prepare to face that type. I'd recommend training in the Dreamyard."

"Dreamyard?" Wait, you mean I could have trained elsewhere?!

"Yeah. It's not too far from here. Just go that way," He pointed to my right, "and you'll find it. Well, I've got to get going. I'll see you when you're ready." He turned and was about to step inside.

"Hold up, what's your name, sir?" He asked to see my starter, and I think it's a bit weird seeing as I don't even know who he is.

"My name will be revealed when it's time. As will your name be revealed to me." He then went inside.

"...Okay...?" I then looked at the direction he pointed in. "Wonder if I should pay that Dreamyard a visit...?"

"I guess so," Yoshika told me. "I mean, you might find a new friend in there."

"True...alright, let me see about it and then get some sleep. Did you want to head to the Center yourself? I mean, you don't have to stick with me for this..."

"No, I'm fine. I was hoping to find a Pokémon for myself. Maybe something I like..."

"Ah."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **And there's the next chapter.**

 **Some notes for those keeping track at home:**

 **1) Upcoming events: I'm not sure about it, but I think Gen 5 was the first generation where a Pokémon could be given to you without a trade and without being an Egg to start with. Then again, I may have missed something in one of the previous generations. Let me know, but I will say that I did choose to grab the monkey given to me. The name will be revealed in the next chapter.**

 **2) Cheren and Bianca: Well, given that Roland's an ex-Champion, I definitely see some of the friendship they have being examined, but it also allows them to reflect each of their counterpart's strengths and flaws. Bianca seems to so far have a big heart but isn't really good at battling, while Cheren is calculated but inexperienced. I think they do some growing up in the two in-game years between the BW games, but for now I want to see if I can stretch how far their views go as well as how they see the other. For now, though, Cheren's Roland's rival, and Bianca's his moral compass or something. Though...I do wonder who would end up trying to help Roland through losing his first Pokémon...**

 **Well, that's it for the notes. For now, I'm going to leave it here.**

 **Please read and respond and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Also, if you've got some good ideas for names, let me know: I don't really need any right this second, but if you've got some good ideas (or any idea, really) for possible names based on what I ctch, then feel free to let me know at any time.**

 **Thanks, and I will see you guys next time!**

* * *

 _Pokémon Names (Snake)_

 _Snake: Snivy looks a bit like a snake, so...what, were you expecting more? Too bad! Waluigi time! [But no, seriously: Snivy does look like a snake on legs. At least when it hits Serperior it loses those legs, if not Servine. I think; I have a Serperior in Pokémon Y, but I do't really recall if Servine had legs or not.]_


	5. Gift and Recollections

**Hello, and welcome to the next chapter of** _The Wizard of Unova_ **.**

 _ **Now with complementary Pansears and Munnas!**_

 **...**

 _ **We already did a "joke" about pitchforks and torches...and besides: we're not sure it's the best idea to use that again. Have you seen what went on after the election?**_

 **...We're not going to discuss that right now, Lio. Not because I disagree with the results, but because this is not the place to be debating about politics. Besides, how often do I bring personal issues into these stories apart from me letting people know that I've got school work and procrastination issues?**

 _ **...Not much else when you do mention them...**_

 **Exactly. Plus, do we really want to have a boycott or something?**

 **Anyways, we've got perhaps a bit of a short chapter in comparison to the others so far, so if you're reading this story I hope it's not too much of a bother given some of my other projects have much more word count requirements (well, only one has a set minimum for the whole chapter, but still...).**

 **Anyways, on to the reviews!**

 _ **...We've got nothing...at least, none for Chapter 4...**_

 **Ah. Well...it's not too much of a bother. It does allow me to get to the story quicker. Though I do wonder: am I losing my touch? Dunno, I'll let the readers decide; it's not my place to decide at the moment.**

 _ **Anyways, on to the chapter before the author goes off on a tangent...**_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 5: Gift and Recollections**

The first few things I ended up doing when Yoshika and I entered the area were fighting battles against other Trainers.

Which so far, I have gone up against two Purrloins, two Patrats, and a Lillipup between two Trainers...

All Pokémon whose species I beat back in my earlier training!

Life hates me so, huh?

Soon, I found a young girl walking around past a "Youngster Joey".

"Hey there," I greeted, sounding a bit miffed. "You don't happen to have any Patrats, Lillipups, or Purrloins on you by chance, do you?"

"Hmm?" the girl asked in return. "No. I don't really see what's so bad about those Pokémon, though..."

"Have you had to spend a large majority of your journey's beginning fighting nothing but those things?"

"...No?"

"Then excuse me when I say this because I'm just frustrated, but...EFF THE BEGINNING!"

The girl looked at Yoshika and asked, "Um, is your friend alright?"

"Yeah," Yoshika said. "He was hoping to challenge the Gym today but was asked to come back later and directed him here. And I guess he wanted to see some new Pokémon from the other Trainers."

"Oh." To me, she added, "What starter type did you choose?"

I relaxed a bit and replied with, "Oshawott. Why?"

"Oh dear, that's not good. Cilan's Pansage can beat it due to Grass being Water's weakness." ...Thanks for the heads-up, I totally didn't realize a long time ago that Water was weak against Grass...Now I have seen the light...thanks for setting me straight. "A Pansear would help you out, though. Did you want to have my Pansear?"

Hold on a second... "...I'm sorry, come again?" I think I need to clean my ears out, which I proceeded to by patting my right ear gently. Did she just...?

"Did you want my Pansear?"

I was baffled. "...I'm really sorry, but...you don't want to, you know...trade it?"

The girl shook her head. "No, I meant what I said. You could use a Pansear, and I want to know that you have a partner to counter Pansage."

I looked at Yoshika really quick before, returning my gaze at her, saying slowly, "So...you're giving me a Pansear..." I pointed at the girl before slowly turning it so that it was pointed at me.

"Yes."

"...for no trades?" I had a perplexed face on my face.

The girl nodded. "Pretty much."

"..." Locating reaction protocols...

"Sir?" I think she was starting to get worried.

"..." I think...I have...found my guardian angel or something...

"Roland, you okay?" Yoshika asked me, getting worried.

"...THANKS SO MUCH, STRANGER!" I shouted as I lunged at the girl and caught her in a hug.

"Um...thanks?" the girl said, unsure about my sudden shift in behavior. She then asked in a more anxious tone, "Could you...you know, let me go please?"

"Oh, sorry," I let her go with a slight blush on my face. "Just never really thought someone would just...you know, give me a Pokémon and not expect a trade."

"It's not really often, but it does feel good to help someone out and ask for nothing in return. Anyways, here you go, sir." She reached into a pocket in her dress and pulled out a Poké Ball. I took it from her. "Pansear will really set the competition on fire!"

...Must...resist urge to subject that pun to severe...PUNishment... "Thanks, miss."

"That's so cool!" Yoshika told me. "What kind of name did you want to give it?"

"I'll deal with that once we get back to the Center. Which we are headed to now."

Yoshika then looked at the girl who handed me the Poké Ball. "Oh, do you happen to have another Pansear? Or any other Pokémon?"

"Sorry, but I don't," the girl told Yoshika. "Sorry, but he was my last one."

"Oh. Well, that does bite, but I can handle it..."

XXXXXXXXXX

"So...your given name was Aidan?" I asked the Pansear I had gotten, apparently named "Aidan" as we sat inside a room I had asked for. And by "we", I meant "we": me, my team, Yoshika, and her team.

"Yes, sir," Aidan said as he gave off a quick nod. "Milady was rather kind to give my services to you." He looked to be a sort of monkey that was predominately red, with a little tuft of hair on top of his head to look like it was on fire.

"So...what can you do?" Yoshika asked.

Aidan gave off a bow. "Young lady, I carry a technique called 'Incinerate', which allows me to burn any berry my opponent is holding and render it useless."

"Hmm...if I had to grind for berries, then you'd be completely useless..." I ad-libbed.

Aidan looked at me in shock. "Sir! I would never simply use that on anything but when I have the advantage in typing! What kind of monster do you take me for?"

"...One I've never seen before until now?" The closest I've seen to a monkey were Mankeys, but those were of the Fighting type.

Aidan was about to counter that point but must have realized that I was not a native resident of Unova. "...Fair point, sir. Of course, I'm the only Pokémon who can hold the advantage against my Grass-typed relative on your team, so for now I am proud to lend my services to you."

"So we've got a polite-sounding Fire-type to handle Pansage," Nanami noted. "A Dark-type who's got to fix some of his English, a Normal-type that's silent, and a Water-type who was chosen by this guy." She pointed to me. "If this isn't grounds to make a team name, then I don't know what is."

"Team name, Miss Nanami?" Aidan asked her, sounding confused.

"You know, like 'Team Monkey', 'Team Wildstyle', or something like that."

"...Team NASH?" I tried.

"Sorry, come again, sir?" Aidan asked, looking more confused.

"You know, 'Nanami, Aidan, Scamp, Hermione'?"

"What about when we get more partners?" Nanami questioned.

"Erm...not really sure..."

"What would ye recommend then, lass?" Scamp replied.

"I was thinking of 'Team Starters'." Nanami looked proud for a moment.

"Hey, Nah," Neptune told her. "You know that those three aren't starters like us, right?"

Nanami's little shoulders drooped. "I forgot..."

"I'd think for the moment that Master Roland's current name for us will suffice, if we were to have one," Aidan said.

"The kid's name fits for now," Scamp added.

"I guess so..." Nanami said with a sigh of defeat.

Hermione simply nodded in agreement. She was really good at being quiet.

"Well then, it's settled," I concluded. "For the four of you, you will be collectively known as Team NASH. For the moment."

"Alright..." Nanami told me. "Anyways, now what?"

"Get some sleep, I guess. Tomorrow, we're going to hit Cilan with everything we've got!"

XXXXXXXXXX

About an hour later, I found myself lying awake as I stared at the ceiling. For some reason, they had a ceiling fan for these rooms (probably for air circulation or something), so I watched as it spun around at a slow speed. Well, slow in relations to it...

"Hey, Roland?" Yoshika's voice asked me. "Are you awake still?"

"Yeah..." I told her absentmindedly. "Just staring at the fan."

"Oh. Why?"

"Got nothing better to do. Tried counting Tauruses, but they kept breaking down the fence instead of jumping over it. Tried Pikachus, got shocked."

"Tried Mareeps?"

"What?" I looked over at her as she was sitting up, wearing a white nightshirt over what I could only safely say was a swimsuit.

"You know, Mareeps?" She reached into her bag, which she kept at the side of her sleeping bag, and pulled out a picture of an electric sheep on four legs, showing me it.

"Oh, those things? Not sure if I did...did try Girafarigs."

"Girafarigs? The Psychic-types?"

"Yeah, started off pretty well until I found myself thinking more about which end was the true brain or something." I sighed. "The things I think of...doesn't help that one of my friends showed me it while he was researching some of the Pokémon himself."

"Hmm...you know, Cheren...was it?"

"The guy I fought in the school earlier? Yeah."

"Cheren called you an ex-Champion...why?"

I sat up and lowered my head. "Well, I used to be a Pokémon Champion...back when things were simpler. I managed to beat the Elite Four back in my home region, with some losses to other trainers along the way as well as to them, but they were still okay...I spent some time as Champion until someone managed to best me. After that, my mom and I moved over here, and well...here I am..."

"I see...Are they still around?"

"Dunno. I left my old team with Professor Oak, so..."

"Oh. That's good..."

I looked at her in confusion. "Why? I don't have my Kanto license anymore, so I can't simply get them back."

"Well, there had been rumors that Pokémon have been getting killed by other wild Pokémon while training with their Trainers lately. Not to mention criminal organization members. Even league-sanctioned battles like the Elite Four challenge and Gym challenges have had deaths. Course, they're only rumors, but...I've never really seen any myself..."

"Really?" Wait, rumors? If they're rumors, then...why did Dream!N tell me that it was my fault my team got killed? "What if...they're not?"

Yoshika was curious about what I said. "Hmm?"

"What if Pokémon can be killed just like that?" I then looked at the ceiling once more. "I've never had it happen to me, but...it's been so long since I last challenged the league...what if that's a new possibility?"

"Well, if that's the case then...you should bond with your Pokémon more."

"Bond more?" As in...?

"Yeah...I mean, I'd be devastated if I lost Neptune or Yusu, but I'd want to have support to help me get through their deaths."

"...I...see..." So I should try to maintain my bonds and strengthen them in order to avoid going into depression when and if they do decide to "kick the bucket"? "What about you? Why did you come all the way out here?"

"It was close to Sinnoh, so I decided to go for it. I've been having fun since I got here, and even met some people who helped get me here in one piece."

"Ah. Wonder if I'll get to meet them..."

"You might. I mean, we met by fate, so...what's to say you can't meet them as well?"

"True..." I laid back down and looked back at the ceiling. "Well...I'm not sure if I can fall back asleep now, but...I'll try..." I then heard shuffling before Yoshika was sitting down next to my head, on her knees and her face in view.

"Hey, I think I have an idea that will help." She then cleared her throat and started humming something...melodic? It sounded somewhat ancient, but yet...so comforting...

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep...

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

 **...And there's the next chapter. This one wasn't really meant to get much action in given that I'd be here a while talking about how I beat the Lillipup, Patrats, and Purrloins. So hopefully this works out. Next time, it's Cilan...and Roland/me being a slight idiot in the first Gym.**

 **Anyways, some more notes (for those who are keeping score at home):**

 **1) Receiving the Pansear (Aidan): I'm not really surprised at this personally, as I've gotten a Lapras by this sort of method in Pokémon Y. However, I'm pretty sure that a person in the Pokémon world who's had to trade to get new team members from strangers, upon being asked if he wanted to have a new Pokémon without trading, would probably be surprised and wondering about it.**

 **2) The "ancient" song: I felt like adding this in for some detailing. If there was a language-based version, I'd have to say that it'd most likely be...I'm not really sure. Maybe Japanese? Dunno. I'll just leave that up to you guys to decide. Anyways, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be adding this as a sort of plot device, but first we must get Cilan defeated and get caught up to my game progress.**

 **And that's it for the notes so far.**

 **Well, thanks for reading this. Please read, respond, and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Also, if you've got ideas for names of potential catches, please let me know. Just for a heads-up, last I checked I had a Blitzle and a Roggenrola as well as these four, so names for them have already been chosen. However, if I end up catching something like a Petilil, then I may select a name suggested if I can't think of any names on my own.**

 **Also, I think I'm going to be placing a list of games I am currently playing as actively as I can on my profile page. These are going to be multiplayer games for now, so if you want to play sometime with me, let me know. For example, I am considering starting a tourney for Smash 4, but I'll save more information on things like that for when I do.**

 **Anyways, thanks so much, guys, and I will catch you guys in the next chapter for Cilan's battle! Also, current stats based on the last results I recall will be given soon.**

 **See you then!**

* * *

 _Pokémon Names (Aidan)_

 _Aidan: Irish or Celtic word meaning "little fire" or "warm"; either a male or female name._


	6. Cilan and Fennel

**Hello, and welcome to the next "exciting" chapter of** _The Wizard of Unova_ **!**

 _ **...What's with the quotes?**_

 _ **It's subjective based on the view.**_

 **Anyways, this chapter, as stated last time, is the fight with Cilan, but before we go ahead and kick some Pansage booty-**

 _ **Don't take it the wrong way if you did, please...**_

 **-but before that, let's see what the reviews have said so far:**

 _kineke13_ **: Yeah, it should be an interesting time for the team. As for the rest of the review, first I should mention the nature of the Nuzlocke: as this is a, in general, "one-life" a la** _Fire Emblem_ **with the added rule of only being able to catch one Pokémon for each area (forfeiting all other catches in that area if you KO the first Pokémon or it runs away), this is going to go as long as I don't wipe. I don't remember what my specifications are if I lose everyone on the team (whether I am able to continue as long as I have at least one spare Pokémon in the PC or if I lose the run automatically), but I do know that this is going to be going for quite some time. So if it's anything like my Diamond Nuzlocke's run, then I am going to be afraid of Ghetsis...very afraid...but that's about, what, sixty chapters away? Eighty? I'm not sure. I do know that eight chapters are currently drafted, with five having been published, so this is up to some time after Cilan's battle draft-wise.**

 **As for the other part of it, I have been thinking of some ideas for some of my projects, and helping out, if only for notes and looking over chapters, is possible; I have a friend and fellow fanfiction writer helping out with the notes for my crossover series, with some possible side stories featuring us in the works still. I have also entertained the idea of having help with Project Origins once I get going on that, so once I decide on how to go about it (I dunno whether I should have anyone who wants to help make a set of two chapters revolving around canon Witch characters for** _Strike Heroes_ **or not...) I will let you guys know. Anyways, thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

 **...And that's it for the reviews for now.**

 **Now, it's time...to get to the battle between Roland and Cilan!**

 _ **Well, after some** **mooks...**_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 6: Cilan and Fennel**

The next day, we stood outside the Striaton City Gym. Nanami and Hermione had decided to hitch rides on my shoulders while Scamp was on the ground to my left. Aidan had perched himself on my head. Yoshika was standing to my right, Yusu in her arms as Neptune was in his Poké Ball.

"Well...here goes nothing..." I said. "You four ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Nanami told me.

"Ye aren't going to leave me out that easily," Scamp replied.

"Sir, I cannot allow in good conscious you to go in without lending my assistance," Aidan added.

Hermione simply nodded her head.

"Well, good luck with your battle!" Yoshika told me.

"You go get 'em, dood!" Neptune said from inside his Poké Ball.

"Thanks," I told all of them. "Now, let's do this." I opened the door and found myself...a bit surprised. To my left was a counter with a waitress behind it. A bit ahead of me was the same guy from yesterday, the one who said Cilan wasn't in.

"You're the new Trainer, correct?" the guy asked me as he came over to me.

"Yeah...?" I asked him carefully. "Who are you?"

"My name is Clyde, a guide for Trainers challenging a gym. To commemorate this landmark moment for you, have this." He handed me a bottle of Fresh Water.

"...Thanks?" I placed the bottle in my pack and watched as he walked back to his little area. I then headed over to the waitress and asked, "Excuse me?"

"Oh, welcome to the restaurant!" the waitress told me cheerfully.

"...Sorry, restaurant?" This is a restaurant?

"Yes, we are very proud of our menu, adjusted to suit each Trainer."

Menu? Adjusted to suit each Trainer?

I looked more into the building and saw that there were three circles, each housing a symbol matching one of the starter types. Ahead of them were some red curtains.

I guess I'll just...go see what this is about?

I wandered over and stepped on the green panel first, getting a buzzer.

"Maybe you should try matching it with something?" Nanami asked me.

"What about what Cilan asked ye last night?" Scamp added. "He said ye chose Water, so try that one."

I wandered over to the blue panel and stepped on it, soon hearing a dinging sound and some applause followed by the curtains opening to reveal a waiter waiting.

Real nice to have that right now...

I then decided to talk to the waiter to see what he wanted.

"Welcome to Straiton Gym!" he told me. "Care for a taste of battle? I'll serve up the first course!"

He then grabbed a Poké Ball from his person and sent out a Lillipup.

"Hermione, you're up first," I told her as my Patrat jumped onto the ground and assumed a stance.

The battle finished, and the waiter congratulated me for the victory.

I then stepped on the next blue panel before I heard the buzzer again.

"Hey, what gives?" Scamp asked.

"Isn't Miss Nanami's type the solution, sir?" Aidan asked me.

I looked ahead and saw that the curtains this time were blue. I then slapped my forehead and groaned.

"I get it now..." I groaned.

"Get what, sir?" Aidan asked.

"Look at the curtains in front of us."

Aidan looked and replied with, "They're blue...and have a water drop..."

"I'd wager fifty PokeDollars that the red curtains had fire on them."

"So what's the point, kid?" Scamp asked me.

"The point is that I failed to realize that this Gym is based on type match-up."

"...What?"

"Think about it: Cilan said that Nanami would have trouble against a Pansage. Even Aidan's original owner said as much. So what's Water weak against?"

"...Oh, I'm a right maroon fer that one..."

I stepped on the green panel this time and watched as the curtains opened up again, revealing a waitress next.

After chatting with her and handling her Pokémon, I pressed onward and found a green curtain with a leaf symbol this time. I stepped on the red panel and continued onward, soon finding Cilan before me.

"Welcome to the Gym, challenger," Cilan told me as he bowed before a red-haired man in the same outfit appeared from behind him and stood a bit from his right.

"I'm Chili!" the redhead said. "I light things up with Fire-type Pokémon!"

A blue-haired man appeared next, going off to Cilan's left and saying, "I'm Cress, Water-type specialist. Pleasure to meet you."

"And I'm Cilan," Cilan finally introduced himself. "I like Grass-types." He then got a bit...nervous. "Um...I know what you might be thinking: why three of us? Well...er..."

"Oh, enough!" Chili said quickly. "I'll handle this, so listen up! We will decide you end up battling, based on the first Pokémon you chose!"

"Um...could I face whoever gets me for Fire-types?" I asked cautiously. "I did choose a Charmander a long time ago..."

Chili shook his head quickly. "Not like that! I mean the one you chose from Professor Juniper."

"Indeed the case," Cress added. "A Water-type, by what Cilan told us." He then backed up against the wall along with Chili, leaving Cilan standing before me.

"Way to throw Cilan under the bus, ya two..." Scamp murmured.

"Nothing personal..." Cilan told me carefully. "No hard feelings...Me and my Grass-types Pokémon will...um..."

"You know, we never really got that personal," I told him. "But seeing as you're the one I had prepared for, I think it's only fair that you come at me with everything you've got."

"True. Well then. We will battle, come what may." Cilan then readied a Poké Ball. "So...time to serve you the final meal of your challenge! Go, Lillipup!" He called forth a Lillipup.

"Go in, Nanami!" I said.

"Right!" Nanami agreed as she jumped onto the ground and got ready to fight.

"Work Up!" Cilan called out as Lillipup tensed up a bit.

"Water Gun!" I ordered. Nanami sprayed water at her opponent.

"Bite!" Lillipup took a good bite of Nanami, who ended up being flinched by the pain. "Again!" Once more, Nanami flinched.

"Damn!" I told myself. "Scamp, you're up next!"

"On it, kid!" Scamp replied as he switched in for Nanami.

"Bite again," Cilan ordered.

Scamp took the hit rather well.

"Sand Attack!" I said next.

"Bite once more!" Cilan called out.

"Again!"

"Bite!" Lillipup missed.

"Good, Scamp, one more time!"

"Bite!"

"Time to heal!" I used a Potion on Scamp.

"Bite!" Scamp avoided it.

"Alright, now let's do this! Assist!" [Scamp used Incinerate]

"Tackle!" Missed.

"Assist again!" [Scamp used Bite]

"Bite!"

"Scratch!"

"Bite!"

Scratch!"

"I'll use a Potion!"

"Scratch while he waits! And again!"

"Bite!" Scamp was starting to look hurt.

"Potion again!"

"Bite!" Missed.

"Scratch!"

"Bite!" Missed. Again.

"Scratch again!" This one managed to drop the Lillipup down for the count.

"Return, Lillipup!" Cilan called his Pokémon back before sending out a monkey with a sort of green tree on its head. "Go, Pansage! This is my last Pokémon!"

"Right! Scamp, pull back! Aidan, you're up!" Aidan took his place.

"Type advantage, huh? Work Up! And again!"

"Incinerate!" I watched as Aidan fired a bit of fire at Pansage.

"Vine Whip!" The Pansage formed a vine from one of its hands and whipped it at Aidan.

"Leer!"

"Work Up once more!"

"Incinerate!"

"Work Up one more time!"

"Incinerate!"

"Work Up again!"

"Incinerate!" By this point, I stood there, determined to win. This was the rush I had missed for so long.

"What will you do?" Cilan asked me. "Work Up's got Pansage's Attack and Special Attack up to max. Do you dare risk an attack?"

I stopped myself. If I didn't heal Aidan, then I was going to risk losing him. If I did, then that was an attack I couldn't use. And I couldn't risk bringing in Scamp again...why didn't I do Sand Attack before?

"I've got no choice..." I said. "Aidan, I'm hoping you beat him, but if you don't win...then I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry, sir," Aidan told me. "I can do this."

"Alright...I guess we're going to hope for the best."

"That's the spirit!" Cilan told me. "Now, Pansage...Vine Whip!" Aidan took the hit but was still standing.

"Incinerate!" This final attack finished off the Pansage.

"Return, Pansage." Cilan recalled his Pokémon and applauded. "What a surprise. I bet not even Cress or Chili could beat you. As a token for beating me, here is the badge of the Striaton City Gym: the Trio Badge." He reached into a pocket and handed me a little badge that seemed to have the three colors inside little triangles, sitting side by side as well as a disc. "And take this Technical Machine: it can teach a Pokémon Work Up, which allows its Attack and Special Attack to increase. By the way, these can be used as many times as you want now."

"Thanks..." I said as I pulled out my badge case and placed the badge inside its spot, placing both it and the disc into my pack. "Wait, they can be reused now?"

"Yeah. We've managed to find a way to keep the code fresh without losing it after the first use."

"Thanks then. It was a pleasure fighting you, Cilan...but now I have to run and heal my team up."

"Alright. We will see you some other time."

I stored my team back in their Poké Balls and walked back out of the restaurant/Gym, son finding some woman in a sort of business attire in front of the Gym.

"Hello, you're Roland, right?" the woman asked me as she approached.

"Uh, yes, ma'am," I replied cautiously.

"I'm Fennel. Professor Juniper asked for me to give you a little something."

I raised an eyebrow. "A little something?"

"Yes. Please follow me." She led me over to a building and led us inside before we stopped in the middle of a large room. "You're going to be meeting all the Pokémon in the region, right?"

"Uh, that's the plan...maybe?"

"I see. Anyways, let me show you to my room. It's upstairs." She led me there. "As I said, my name's Fennel, and I'm a scientist. By my attire. In fact, I'm studying Trainers!"

I felt a chill go up my spine. "...You're not going to dissect me, are you?"

"Goodness no! Juniper is my friend from college. She asked me to help you and your friends. So, I'll give you something to help you on your journey. It's a Hidden Machine that will let you teach your Pokémon Cut." She handed me another disc, which I packed. "As you might recall, there are moves that a Pokémon can do outside combat. Cut allows you to chop down small trees. And it works like a Technical Machine, so use it as much as you want. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah...does help commit tree-cide."

"However, it's difficult to forget it once learned, so be careful who gets it. Also, there is a place called the Dreamyard on the outskirts of the city. I'd like you to collect some Dream Mist emitted by a Pokémon called Munna." ...What now? "I have a small project I am working on that requires it."

I spent a bit of time processing the request before replying with, "Okay...I'll go get your...magical farts...or whatever they are..."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **...Alright, I do wonder what Fennel needs the Dream Dust for...not really; I did get past this part, so I know why. Still doesn't help that Roland made it sound like a drug or something...**

 **Don't do drugs, kids. I mean, if you want to go on a journey filled with complete nonsense, I think I'd recommend watching something that is like that...or something to make you go insane or something...**

 _ **...**_

 **...**

 _ **...Let's just retcon that to "Don't do drugs. And don't go insane either, please."**_

 **Anyways...in one week, I am going to be setting up a tourney for Smash 4 on the Wii U, so if you're interested in it then keep an eye out on my profile page for more information. I will try my best to get updates on my other stories in order to spread the word, but I can't guarantee it. Unless you're following me author-wise. I dunno how to make sense of that...**

 **Other than that, I do apologize for the...weird way this battle got written out. I will be giving it some thought for the next Gym Battle in order to see if there is a way I can make a Pokémon battle look interesting while keeping in mind the turn-based rules, so if you didn't like that part then at least know that I will be dealing with it.**

 **Also, I have set up a tourney for Super Smash Brothers Wii U. This is set up primarily for any members of the FanFicCollective as well as any readers, friends, or beta readers. So...in a word, anyone. If you're interested, check out my profile page for details and, if you want to participate or know someone who is, send me a PM and I will give you the password. Also, let me know if you have any questions; this is my first tourney I'm setting up, so hopefully things don't go south.**

 **And with those words said, it's time to end this chapter for now.**

 **Please read, respond, give your thoughts, you know the drill.**

 **Thanks, and I will see you guys in the next update, where Roland and friends go to find some...magical farts...**

 _ **Least it's not magical unicorn may-**_

 **Lio! Ratings!**

 _ **...Right. Least it's not unicorn farts.**_

 **...That doesn't make me feel much better...**


	7. Munna and Plasma!

**Hello, and welcome to the long-awaited next chapter of** _The Wizard of Unova_ **!**

 **So...wait, is this actually considered "long-awaited"?**

 **Hold on, I've been an author on the site for a few years now, shouldn't I know this sort of thing by now?**

 **Anyways...on to the reviews!**

 ***insert tumbleweeds here***

 **...Please don't tell me that my Skype gag's coming in here to torture me now...well, that seems to be karma for now...**

 **So how about we get to the chapter now?**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 7: Munna and Plasma!**

After a bit of shopping (now the store in Striaton City carries Potions...), I healed my team up to full health at the Pokémon Center.

Which led to a small detail I just noticed...

"Hey, isn't it strange that we haven't seen Yoshika since we challenged Cilan?" I asked my team as we were walking around outside, heading to the Dreamyard for Fennel's request.

"Not really, kid," Scamp told me, on the ground to my left. "The lass can handle 'erself, ya know."

"I know that, but..."

"Neptune and Yusu will keep her safe, Roland," Nanami added, perched on top of my head. "Just worry about that Dream Mist, alright?"

"Right...anyways, why are you on top of my head?" She wasn't the lightest of the current-sized Pokémon I had, that was for sure. Or maybe she is; I have to look at their weight when I get a chance.

"Better positioning."

"I do believe Miss Nanami rather enjoys not having to move around a lot," Aidan replied, clinging on to my backpack.

Nanami turned her head quickly to glare at the Pansear. "Hey! I do too!"

"At least they aren't having yer hands full," Scamp noted as I looked at Hermione, who had been in my arms since we left the Center.

Hermione simply nodded as if agreeing with the Purrloin.

"Anyways," I tried saying, "let's go and...get this magical fart or whatever she said it was."

"Dream Mist," Nanami corrected me.

I raised an eyebrow as I looked up at the Oshawott. "That, too."

We walked a bit until we found a hole in a wall blocked by a small-looking tree.

"Hey, I think I remember this," I told my Pokémon. "We need a move to cut this down, which was that disc Fennel gave me." I then put Hermione down on the ground and took off my bag as Aidan got off, rummaging around until I found the HM I needed. "Alright...now, last I checked it's hard to get rid of this, so...who wants it?"

"Shouldn't we figure out who can learn it first?" Nanami asked me.

"Oh...right..." I pulled my PokéDex and looked up Cut's information, checking who in the party could learn it afterwards. "Erm...any one of you four can learn it..."

"Let's see...we can give it to Scamp."

"Oi!" Scamp protested. "It's already bad enough Purrloin aren't exactly the best choice for Pokémon! Ye aren't getting me ta learn that crap!"

"Hey, you'd get something new, right?"

"How about ye learn it, lass?"

"Might I make a suggestion?" Aidan inserted. "Sir Roland could let Lady Hermione learn it."

I gave it some thought. On the one hand, I could give it to Nanami, but she was my starter, so she's be stuck with it until I found a way to remove it, if I ever did find it. I could also hand it to Aidan or Scamp, but the latter was already adamant or something about not learning it.

"Hermione, would you mind learning Cut for us?" I asked my Patrat. "I can't guarantee that I'd get it out of you again, but..."

I then watched as Hermione nodded and walked over to the disc in my hands before patting her head against it.

 _Hermione can only know four moves at a time,_ a voice told me in my head. _Forget a move? Tackle, Leer, Bite, Detect, Cancel._

Erm...yeah...I guess Tackle...

 _Tackle has been replaced with Cut._

Hermione stepped away and then looked at the tree before she raised her right paw and, with a swipe, managed to cut it down.

"Alright, with that done," I said as I put the disc away. "Let's go see about that Munna, shall we?"

Placing my backpack back on my back, we entered through the hole and were about to get completely in before I heard some call out to me, "Hey, Roland!"

Looking to my left, I saw Bianca running over to me.

"Uh, hey, Bianca," I told her as she came to a stop, panting. "Why the run?"

"Sorry..." Bianca began. "But...I was wondering...if you were looking for the...mysterious Pokémon as well." She then straightened up and looked at me.

"Yeah, I was. A Munna, right?"

"Yes. I'm asking because I think I saw a little girl coming this way some time before I found you."

"...Little girl?"

"Think she's talking about Yoshika?" Nanami asked me.

"You know, I was looking for someone I had met that sounds like that, so...did you want to join me in this little adventure?"

"Sure," Bianca said with a nod.

"Alright then..." I got out and showed her the hole. "Ladies first, then."

"Thanks!" Bianca stepped inside, followed by Nanami and Hermione. Scamp and Aidan went in next, and I brought up the rear. In front of us now was an old, abandoned-looking building "Oh, I forgot to ask you: how have you been? I didn't really get a chance to see you off, so..."

...Right, I left before she woke up, didn't I? "Oh, not much. Just...got a badge already, you know..."

"Really?" She looked a bit excited before regaining her composure. "Oh, sorry, just...I knew you'd be making a challenge at some point, but...I didn't think it'd be this soon."

"Me neither, I guess. So...why exactly did you ask me about Munna?"

"Oh. I was just curious about something...about how showing dreams works..." We then heard something give off a cry. "Hey! You hear something?"

"Yeah..." I said uncertainly. It sounded like...I'm not sure what.

"Let's go check it out!" Bianca then stepped behind me. "Lead the way, please."

"Right...Nanami, stand by for a battle just in case. You three as well."

My Pokémon gave off a nod in reply.

We stepped inside the abandoned building and were treated to a weird sight: a pink Pokémon floating there.

"Help..." the Pokémon said before it floated off a bit.

"Hold on!" Bianca shouted as we gave chase before finding out what the Pokémon had gone to: for some reason, Yoshika was laying on the ground, unconscious. I didn't really see anything missing from her, but...

"Yoshika!" I shouted.

"Wait, you know her?" Bianca looked curious.

"Yeah. We met while I was training, but...why is she here? How'd she even get in here anyways? I don't think there was another way in..."

Suddenly, two people, a man and a woman, popped out from behind a corner.

"We found you, Munna!" the woman shouted.

"What the-?!" I replied. Those uniforms...they were so familiar...

The duo seemed to surround the Pokémon, Munna, taking some care not to step on Yoshika.

"Come on, come on! Make some Dream Mist!" the man demanded.

"...No way!" Munna said as it looked between its pinners.

"Huh?" Bianca asked, confused. "Who are you?!"

"You're with Team Plasma, aren't you?" I tried. "What do you plan on doing with Munna?"

The duo looked over at us, the man replying with, "Are you talking about us? We're Team Plasma. We battle day and night to liberate Pokémon from foolish humans!"

"What we're doing?" the woman continued, "The Pokémon Munna and Musharna emit a mysterious vapor called Dream Mist, which shows people's dreams. We're going to use that to make people want to release their Pokémon...dreams to manipulate their hearts."

We then watched as the man decided to step back a bit and throw a vicious punch at Munna, injuring it.

"That...hurts..." Munna said weakly.

"Come on! Spit out that Dream Mist!" the man exclaimed.

"Hang on then, why did you hurt Yoshika?" I asked them.

"Hmm?" the woman asked me before looking over at Yoshika. "Oh. We were tracking down Munna a while back and had managed to pin it in here. However, that little...brat decided to interrupt us and allowed Munna to escape our sights. So we knocked her out and waited until Munna returned here. And now you two are here..."

"You're beating a Pokémon to make it give off Dream Dust?" Bianca asked the man. "That's mean! You're Trainers as well, right?"

"That's right, missie. We too are Trainers, but we fight for a different reason. Unlike you two, we're fighting for the freedom of Pokémon!"

"And setting them free means that we win battles and take Pokémon by force!" the man added.

"Though your friend here didn't seem to have any...that we could find..."

Huh? She does have Pokémon, but...where would she put them? "So, on that note, we're going to be rescuing yours from you!" The man then stepped in front of me.

"Hey! Don't hurt Roland!" Bianca pleaded.

"Well then," I told him. "I guess if you want them so bad..." I then placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away, making him land on his rear. "We'll fight using our Pokémon for it!"

"Alright then!" the man said. "Me first! Let's go, Patrat!" he pulled out a PokéBall and sent out his first Pokémon.

"Nanami, you know the drill!" I told my partner as she stepped in front of me. "Water Gun!" The Oshawott fired a spurt of water from her mouth, soaking her opponent.

"Bite!" The Patrat ran up and bit down on Nanami's right arm, somehow refusing to let go. "Now, Bide!"

"Alright, Nanami! Water Gun to the face!" Nanami did as told and got Patrat to let go, though it must have relaxed in order to prepare its Bide counterattack. It did look beat, though.

"Get ready!"

"Water Gun once more! Let's end this!" Nanami hit with her attack and knocked out her opponent.

"That was my only Pokémon," the man said. "I concede!"

"Were you not taking them seriously because they were just kids?" the woman asked her partner. "I'll handle them! Go, Purrloin!"

"Nanami, time for Round Two!" I called out.

"Scratch that Pokémon!" Her Purrloin swiped at Nanami, who dodged it and only got a glancing blow.

"Water Gun once more!" Nanami nailed her opponent.

"Assist then!" However, the Purrloin did nothing. "What? Why won't you...?"

"Do you have any other Pokémon on you, by chance?" I asked her.

"No...why?"

"Nothing except for a Water Gun to its face!" Nanami picked up on the command and sprayed it into submission.

"I lost as well?!"

"Hey, not my fault you used a move with no other Pokémon on you." I shrugged my shoulders.

"I...I can't believe we lost!" the man said. "But we need the Dream Mist!" The man went back to Munna and punched it again. "Come on, make with the Dream Mist!"

"Knock it off!" Bianca told him before a flash of light appeared and, to my left, Ghetsis appeared.

"What are you two doing goofing off?" he asked his...lackeys?

Another version of him, wearing a blueish robe, appeared to my right, saying, "We, Team Plasma, shall separate Pokémon from foolish people!" The two then disappeared and, a few feet away and behind Yoshika and Munna, a third Ghetsis appeared, adding, "If you cannot fulfill your duties..."

"T-This isn't..." the woman told her partner as he backed away from Munna. "Ghetsis when gathering followers...or when he's trying to control others by tricking them with speeches!"

"Roland, what's going on?" Bianca asked me in a hushed tone.

"I've got no clue..." I whispered back. How charismatic was Ghetsis to trick people by speeches?

"Yeah..." the man replied. "This is Ghetsis when a plan failed and he's about to give a punishment..."

"At any rate, let's hurry back and say we're sorry so he'll forgive us!" the woman exclaimed. We then watched as the two ran off before the flash appeared again and a bigger edition of Munna (maybe it's a Musharna?) came out from the same corner the grunts had come from.

"Dear!" it called out.

"...I'm confused..." Bianca said to me as we looked at each other. "What was that just now? That Ghetsis man appeared all the place, and...it wasn't real, right?!"

"Hell if I know..." I told her, shrugging once more.

"Could it have been a dream?"

"...I actually think it might have been. So...that Pokémon over there is..." We then looked at the "Musharna" and Munna as the former was looking over the latter for any serious injuries.

"Oh!" a voice called out from behind us. We turned to look at Fennel, who had come over. "I couldn't wait, so I came over as soon as I could!"

"...Hello, Fennel?"

Fennel gasped in surprise. "Is that...Musharna?!"

"Hmm?" I gestured over to what I thought was the Musharna. "Oh, that thing over there? I guess it is-"

"Are you okay?" Musharna asked Munna.

"Yeah," Munna replied happily (must have been healed while Musharna looked it over).

"Thank goodness! Come on, let's go home."

"Alright." Munna then looked at me. "Oh, did you want some Dream Mist?"

"Um...yes?" I asked more than replied. "I mean, I know you've been through a lot, but..."

"It's okay. I wanted to thank you for helping to keep them distracted. Here! Hold out your hands." I did as I was told before it filled them with some sort of...pink misty thing? "Alright! Thanks so much! Hopefully I see you again, mister!" The two Pokémon then left.

"Did something happen here?" Fennel asked us.

I turned to look at her. "Um..."

"Oh, hey there, Fennel," Bianca replied for me. "Well, you see...Munna was here...but Team Plasma...and that little girl over there...and, well..."

"I think those two were tripping out on something. What exactly does Dream Mist do again?"

"Oh, that? Well...first off, Musharna evolves from Munna, so when it saw Munna in trouble, it used its ability to make dreams into reality in order to save Munna. Which means...wait a moment..." Fennel approached me and stared at the Dream Mist in my hands. "Is this Dream Mist?!"

"Um..." I looked down at my hands. "Yes?"

Fennel snatched the Dream Mist from my hands quickly. "With this, I can complete my research! You two, come to my house later, okay?" She then ran off.

Bianca sighed as she said, "How random was that? Anyways, why don't you go to Fennel's house, Roland?"

"Um...what about Yoshika?" I asked her, pointing to Yoshika, who was still unconscious.

"Oh...hmm...I was going to stick around and look for Munna and Musharna, but I can try waking her up."

I looked around and finally noticed the patch of grass near us. "On second thought, I'm going to go check this patch of grass really quick. Maybe I can grab a Pokémon before I go, you know?"

"You might want to go to Fennel's. I can check on Yoshika."

"...Alright...just...promise me you'll be careful, alright?"

"Okay."

"I am going to look around a bit before I go, so...don't get into trouble once I leave.

"It's alright."

XXXXXXXXXX

So...800 PokéDollars and a few items. Along with training my team for the battles up ahead.

All I got out of the place. Did see a Munna as well, but...I'm not sure if it was the same one I helped.

And what the PokéDex called "Audinos"...those seemed to be a godsend for some reason...though they were tough to handle.

Anyways, I returned to the Pokémon Center and healed my team up before I went over to Fennel's house. Along with buying a few more supplies with the cash I had on me.

Apparently, she told me that, with the Dream Mist I got, she had completed a device...to get save files of other Trainers...whatever that means...

Did get something called a "C-Gear" out of it, so...yay?

Also, some person named Amanita gave me a Pal Pad.

Also, apparently, she must have made the PC system I'd end up using in this region.

Anyways...I returned to the Pokémon Center to rest up a bit before I continued my journey, but when I got there, I saw Bianca and...

"Yoshika!" I shouted as I saw the Witch conscious and standing next to the blond-haired Trainer. "You're alright!"

"Yeah..." Yoshika said sheepishly. "Bianca told me what happened while I was out. Did you take on those Team Plasma meanies?"

"Yeah. But they instigated it...still, how are you feeling? Why didn't you fight back the first time? How did you even-"

"Whoa, slow down!" Yoshika held her hands in front of her. "I'm fine. I found a way over and into the building, and...I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh. Well...I was coming in to rest up a bit before I left to continue on my journey. I'm glad to see you're alright."

"Thanks. Neptune and Yusu wanted to say thanks for helping Munna as well. And for finding me."

"Well...it was nothing..."

"So...where to next?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Where are we going next?"

"...We?"

Yoshika nodded her head. "Yep! I'm coming with you, you know! I want to see what this region's got to offer! Also...if you end up meeting with this N guy again, I want to ask him something..."

"Still...you know I'm going to be busy training my team up and finding new additions, right?"

Yoshika nodded again. "Of course! But...that's why I want to come with you. I mean, friends stick together, right?"

"...Alright, let's go then." I then looked at Bianca. "I hope we meet again later on, Bianca. And I hope you have fun along the way, alright?"

"Sure will!" Bianca replied happily.

"Alright, Yoshika...let's get going!" I ran out of the Center, excited to keep going on my way.

Next Gym...here I come!

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **And there's the next chapter.**

 **Now, a few things to note here: first and foremost, this update is going to help me by letting you guys know about what's going on.**

 **So to work with this, I will let you guys know the following: I am currently working on getting updates done, and I do have materials for getting most of my current stories up. However, the main one will be the next arc for SH3; with school work going on right now, that one is going to be the hardest to get done. The good news is that I'm currently on a break; unfortunately, I'd have to do quite a bit of progress on the arcs so this is going to be a while before I update that story. This is mainly for those who read the** _Strike Heroes_ **series. For everyone else, it's just a notice.**

 **Second, we're coming to the end of the first arc of this story itself. Well, I say that as in...well, I have to make progress to the next city soon. There is one chapter I have after this that does introduce the next Witch to travel with Roland and Yoshika, but unless you want me to at have that up for now, I'll hold off until I make progress on the story and find an ending for the next Gym to take another break.**

 **And finally (I'm going to be making this sort of announcement on all my current stories just in case), the group I am part of, the FanFic Collective, now have a Discord server. It's a great to communicate with not only other readers of the stories featured on there and the authors who made them possible, but it's open to anyone who wishes to join. Right now, there is a link on the wiki page (Google "FanFic Collective", and it should be the first link) that helps you get there, but if you need help let one of us know. To have an idea of who is working with the group, there's also a community on FFN that has all the stories us Authors (there's a reason why I use it as a capital) have currently there, but at the very least members include one of my beta readers, Doran Maya (the creator of the Discord server) and myself. So if you're interested go check it out.**

 **Hmm...anything else? Probably not, but I'd say keep an eye out for a new story I'll be putting out very soon. Probably in the next week or two. Though it's more of a test, I want to see what you guys think of it. Just to give you a small taste here, here's a quick excerpt from the first chapter (which may reveal the series this is for):**

"Terminate program," the man added as the area fizzed out, leaving him in a rather empty room save for a black rectangular-looking camera of sorts, a black controller laying next to it. He clumsily ran a hand through his brown hair. "Now...is that thing acting up? Because if it is…"

"Hey there!" a familiar voice said from behind him.

"Aah!" Swinging one of his gunblades and flicking the trigger a bit to withdraw the blade, he brought it to bear on the noisemaker.

"Eep!" a young-looking lilac-haired girl squeaked as she stepped back a bit. She seemed to wear a sort of hoodie for a dress, with cyan-and-white tube socks. She also seemed to have a set of two D-Pads in her hair, which was in a sort of short style. "Don't shoot! It's just me!"

 _ **Please note that this may not be exactly what is shown in the version you guys will be able to read at that time. More details may be released on his profile page, but other than that you'll have to wait until it's up.**_

 **What Lio said. Anyways, thanks for reading, please leave a review letting me know what you thought of this chapter. And please don't be afraid to join the server or help out with adding material to the wiki. And if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask one of us.**

 **Anyways, Lio and I will see you guys later.**

 **Thanks so much for reading. This is Dilnos521, and we will see you guys in the next update.**


	8. New Route, New Pals!

**Hello and welcome, after a long time or waiting, to the next chapter of** _The Wizard of Unova_ **!**

 ***insert tumbleweeds here***

 **...The tumbleweeds came in early...**

 **Anyways, I've got quite a few updates at the end of the chapter, so if you enjoyed my work then stay until the end. Which...now that I think about it, you'd probably end up doing since this story has me explaining my choice of names at the way bottom.**

 **Before we begin, let's go to the reviews:**

 _working idiot (Guest)_ **: To avoid spoiling who exactly, another member joins in this chapter. But I won't tell you who exactly or how (that would spoil it more than the little I did). But imagining that you at least know a little of the events for BW, the Munna is alright regardless (at least, I imagine it's the case no matter which version). Still, thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Also, sorry for the long lapse in updates to answer the review.**

 **...And that's it for the reviews at the moment. What say we get going into the next arc of the story, shall we?**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 8: New Route, New Pals!**

...

"What's the matter, Roland?" Yoshika asked me as we were standing outside a building, me staring at it. Well, two. One building was bigger than the other and had a red roof while the other one had a green roof.

"Hmm?" I replied as I shook my head. "Oh, it's nothing...though...how come they placed a Day Care right here after the first Gym on my path? Last I recalled, Kanto's was about south of Cerulean City."

"Ah. I think my mom said that ours was in a place called Solaceon Town."

"Huh...Sounds about right, I think?"I then looked around. "So...let's see if I can find any places to train around here."

"Um...how about there?" Yoshika pointed to my left, towards a playground area with some preschoolers. And possibly a teacher supervising or something.

"Them? I don't know...they look like they don't have Pokémon on them..."

"Well, let's at least go and ask if they've seen any places where you can find new teammates."

"That, or we can stick with your team name, but I doubt we'll get far with the four of us only," Nanami commented from inside her Poké Ball.

"Shut up, Nanami," I told her, albeit with a smile. While I didn't really like the fact that she had to point out the obvious, Nanami was right: I doubt my team would survive going through all eight Gyms and the Elite Four without two more teammates to back them up. To Yoshika, I added, "Alright, let's go see about those little kids..."

XXXXXXXXXX

A few minutes later, we walked away from the buildings. I chose to flop onto the ground chest first, something Nanami chose to copy.

"It couldn't be that bad..." Yoshika chose to say to me as we laid there.

"Maybe..." I replied. "But aren't those kids too young to be handling Pokémon?"

"Hmm? Oh, right...you were part of the whole "ten-year-old equals Trainer age" thing, right?"

"The what now?" I got onto my knees and looked up at her.

"TETA, I think the acronym was. The idea that Trainers should be at least ten years old to become one?"

"...Yoshika, I was around ten when I became a Trainer. The only reason why I waited until I was eighteen to go again was because it had been a while since I went into a League. That, and, well..."

"Oh. Right. But at least they said that there were some grass up ahead, so...hooray?"

"Yay..." I didn't say it very enthusiastically.

"Oh, come off it," Scamp berated me as he sat down to my left. "Ye didna even use anyone but Hermione, and ye don't see 'er complaining, do ya?"

"Hermione hasn't really spoken a word since we got her, Scamp," Nanami told him. "I'm not sure if she can even speak or not. Though whether or not she can do so is none of my concern. We're all partners here, right?"

"Miss Nanami is correct," Aidan added. "We've handled some rough things as of late, and I believe that it's all just the beginning of this journey Sir Roland is on." He then looked at Yoshika and hastily added, "And Miss Yoshika, sorry to forget, ma'am."

"It's alright," Yoshika told him. "I do wonder, though...do those two look like they're going to battle?" She pointed over to two little girls standing at the edge of the road, looking like they were waiting.

"Knowing my luck, they might be..." I only told her. Please tell me there are no elemental monkeys in their arsenal...

XXXXXXXXXX

Nevermind, they both had two Purrloin. Females.

How do I know? Well, Scamp tried hitting on one before the battle started (he later claimed that he was trying to break the ice. Must be related to all the Purrloin in the area I found him or something because I don't recall him hitting on any of the other Purrloin I found while training). That was before he did a Sand Attack in an attempt to miss and failed that.

Which resulted in him getting sand in his eyes from one of them doing the same to him.

"Why is that even a technique?" Scamp asked to no one in particular as we moved on, having taken a quick breather at the school via sitting on my right shoulder. "I think I still have sand in me eyes..."

"You can always go back in the Poké Ball, Scamp," I told him. "Not forcing you in or keeping you out, you know."

"Hey, Roland!" I heard Cheren's voice call out.

Blinking, we all stopped and looked behind as we saw Cheren running towards me.

"Uh...what's up, Cheren?" I asked, confused.

"You beat the Gym back in Striaton City, right?" the boy in blue asked me in return.

"Yeah. Why?"

"We both have the Trio Badge, so let's see who's stronger between us!"

"...Right now?"

"Of course. Snake, let's go."

"Okay...Scamp, you're up, I guess."

XXXXXXXXXX

After a bit (I was originally going to have Scamp try to handle his team, but...two Leers and a Growth from Snake was not a good thing to be on the receiving end of, so I had to use Aidan to take him out. As for Sid, he must have picked some notes about Sand Attack because I brought Scamp back in and could only get one of my own in before having to go back to Aidan), I won our battle.

"Hmm...we have the same amount of badges, so we should have been equals in this, but..." Cheren told me. "Then again you've cleared one League and was its Champion before, so it might be no surprise. Though I would have thought you'd be a bit more...rusty still."

"Eh, I learn quickly," I told him. "Fair warning: if you haven't already, beware those preschoolers. They have monkeys."

"The elemental monkeys? Wouldn't doubt it. This is Unova, you know. Not Kanto, right?"

"...Yeah. Still-"

"Out of the way!" we suddenly heard a voice call out.

"Huh?" Yoshika, who had sat back to watch our battle, asked in return. She looked behind us. "There are some people running this way..."

Cheren and I looked and barely moved to avoid being trampled by two Team Plasma grunts running off with...a bag?

...

Okay, I'm confused...

Are they petty thieves, a sinister criminal empire, or a legitimate organization wanting to free Pokémon? So far, I can't tell which one it's supposed to be!

"What was that about?" Cheren asked me as we watched the people run by us.

"If I had to take a guess, I'd say that'd be trouble," I told him as I looked in the other direction. "And based on the fact that Bianca is running our way with a girl next to her...kinda makes me wanna reconsider this whole 'Trainer' gig and just go for 'Ranger' or 'Freelance hero' or something..."

"Wait, Bianca?!" Cheren looked where I was looking and sure enough was shocked. "Why are you running?"

"Hey!" Bianca said as she and the girl managed to get to us. "Where were those people headed?"

"Um...that way," I told her, hitching my thumb in the direction I had saw them go as I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Bianca stomped a foot on the ground and gave off what I could only imagine as being her best attempt at being irritated (given her personality, this was a bit difficult). "Seriously?! They run so fast!"

...Now that I think about it, Bianca, your choice of clothes doesn't scream "mobility". Then again, I don't wear dresses or things like that considering I'm a guy. Though I think I have heard of something called a kilt. Not sure where I'd find one, though...

"What happened?" Yoshika asked.

"Right," Bianca replied. "Well...I had gotten out from visiting Fennel when I saw Team Plasma talking to this girl right here in front of the Pokémon Center. I saw them take her bag and run off and tried stopping them, but...well, they run fast..."

"Alright, that might not be too bad..." I told her. "Though..." I looked at the newcomer. She seemed to have dirty blond hair done in a braid and was wearing a red T-shirt that said "Born and Raised in Kanto" along with some denim blue skinny jeans. On her right wrist was a black bracelet that seemed to have some sort of stone or something. "Was there anything important in there? If it was just personal supplies, then I think we can restock you or something..." Now that I think about it...I think she was...erm...what's the word?

...No, seriously, what's the word I want? Her chest was...eh...

"Hmm?" the girl started, blinking her blue eyes. "Oh. Well...I had some personal things...some Potions...my sleeping bag...a Full Heal...erm, my clothes...some Poffins..."

"Is there a bowling ball in there somewhere?" Nanami asked me.

Hell if I know. Would it matter? I'm still working on the word I'd use for her physique.

"...an Antidote or two...I don't remember how much I actually had, I'd have to look again..." the girl continued as she was still naming off things in her bag. "My Pokémon..."

Wait a second!

"Your Pokémon?" I asked.

The girl nodded in agreement and replied with, "Yeah. I'm pretty sure I had them in there. One of the side pockets, located on the rounded faces."

"I think I understand why they took it. This better not be a theme for them, snatching girls' bags and things..." I added that last part under my breath.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Cheren asked Bianca. To the girl, he added, "We'll be right back, miss." He then ran off after the Team Plasma grunts.

"Hey, Cheren! Wait!" I made to follow him before the girl said something.

"I wanna come with you, please," she told me. "I want to make sure my friends are alright..."

I nodded my head. If those guys manage to...liberate her Pokémon then I'm not getting any sleep for a long time. Besides, stealing from people is just plain wrong right now.

...Then again, I have heard people letting others rummage through their trash for items, so...

...

Not sure where I'd fall right now...

"Yoshika, stay with Bianca," I told my travel companion. "If anybody else tries pulling the stunt with her, I want you there to help repel them."

" _Hai!_ " Yoshika said.

"Miss? Let's go get your team back." I ran after Cheren, the girl following suit.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I am Blitzle, hear me roar!" A random Blitzle called out as we ran though some grass to grab a quick item. It had a feminine voice.

"No time!" I shouted as I tossed a Poké Ball at it. It appeared to have done the job before the Blitzle broke free.

"Ha! You can't contain me! I am invinci-"

I tossed another Poké Ball at her. "Shut up and get in your ball!" This time, she got caught. "No time to waste! I'm a man on a mission!" I then grabbed the item and continued on my path. "For now, your name is Mai. I'll introduce you to the others later on when we stop running!"

We soon reached Cheren, who was standing outside a cave entrance.

"Alright, Roland," he told me as we stopped next to him. "I've managed to track them to in here." He then looked behind me and noted the girl whose Pokémon had been taken. "Why'd you bring her here?"

"I didn't have much say," I told him. "Besides, she has as much right to make sure her team is safe as we do going after the thieves."

"...You make a fair point for some reason. Alright, but she needs to stay back."

"I will," the girl replied. "Just...please get my Pokémon back."

"Understood. Let's go in, Roland."

We stepped inside and saw the grunts...looking through her bag? It appeared to be a duffle bag of sorts, so...

Also, while entering the cave, I managed to find a Roggenrola and catch it, naming it Briquet.

...My names. Sue me...

"I swear, I don't understand why women need this many things in here..." one of them said in a male voice.

"I'm still trying to figure out the bowling ball," his companion, also male, added. "Seriously, who carries one of those around here?"

...

"Well, I guess that answered my question," Nanami told me.

...Really? That's a gag?

"Hey!" Cheren called out.

"Hmm?" one of the males asked as they looked at the three of us. "Oh, brats. I guess you're here to get this bag back, huh?"

"Please be careful with that!" the girl called out in worry. "My friends are in there!"

"Huh? Your friends? Oh, I see. You left your Pokémon in here? Well, that does make our job easier knowing that we at least got them...but still, all those clothes are not helping..."

"Why are you even going through her things anyways?" I asked them. "You know that's not exactly cool, right?"

"You three decided to come into a cave," the man's partner added. "That is cool. Literally."

"Shut up over there!" his partner scolded him. "Anyways, I doubt you two will be able to bring out your team's full potential. Now, cower in fear as we take your team from you." He sent out a Patrat.

"Um...Mai, let's go." I sent out my newly-acquired Blitzle before recalling that Patrat can use Bide, hastily switching in for Briquet.

It took a while given I tried playing defensively, but I managed to beat the Patrat, which seemed to shock my opponent.

"How can we be on the losing side if we have right with us?" he asked me.

"Maybe you ought to work on getting more than right on your end," I quipped.

"Good work, Roland," Cheren congratulated me.

"Please give me my bag and friends back now..." the girl pleaded again.

"Not so fast!" a new voice called out. Two more male Plasma grunts appeared from behind the first two. "How troublesome you are becoming."

"How nice to hear that coming from a group that seems to resort to petty crime to get their way," I told her as I recalled Briquet.

"Not only have you failed to understand, but you've actually gotten in our way as well. There are two of us and two of you able to fight, so we will use our combined might to show you whose side is in the wrong!"

"So there were more of them..." Cheren said to himself.

"Hey, we can handle this," I told him. "This girl's depending on us to get her friends back, and I for one am not going to disappoint."

"How admirable. Now lose!" The two of them sent out Patrats of their own.

Once more, I sent Mai out and forgot about it, so I had to pull her back.

And it took some time seeing as Briquet got hit by a lucky shot and took a critical hit, but after some healing and nearly watching Snake go down we managed to beat them as well.

"We want Pokémon liberation from foolish people, so if we must take them by force then we shall do so!" one of our opponents complained. "They are weak under Trainers!"

I sighed and said, "You might want to reconsider it if that's your business model..."

"If that's what you people think, then I can't help you," Cheren told him. "At least give us her Pokémon back."

"And what, lose the chance for a reward? I think, after my comrades find them, we could give them over and get a reward of some-"

Suddenly, we all watched as a rock whizzed right by his head, making us all stop in our tracks as we looked at what had thrown it.

"Give me...my friends back..." the girl said as a white glow surrounded her body. She seemed to be in a pose that indicated that she had thrown something with all her might.

We all stood there as we took in what had happened.

"Um...nice aim?" Nanami said uncertainly.

"Uh, yeah," I added hastily. "Good throw."

"W...W..." the man said as what had happened seemed to sink in. "WITCH!" He legged it immediately.

"Hey, where are you going?!" one of his comrades called out as all but one followed suit.

"You keep the bag," the straggler said to us. "Just...don't let her throw any more rocks, please." He then followed his friends.

"...Well, that was..." Cheren started as he processed what had happened.

"To die for? Nearly losing a head? Nearly blew the head off the competition?" I tried finishing his thoughts.

Cheren stared at me. "Really? Why are you doing jokes about being beheaded?"

"Dunno, just...thought it'd calm everyone down." I then gestured to the girl's bag. "Look, they left the bag. That's some progress right there."

"Still...Pokémon being weak under Trainers? That's absurd, right?"

I watched as the girl went to her bag and worked on getting things back in order. "Well, the way I see it, we each bring something to the table. For Pokémon, they get companionship and the chance to become more than what they would have been if they had stayed in the wild. For us, it's about the same. We get companions, but...we also learn more about the world through them." I then looked at Cheren. "I mean, if it wasn't for you, Bianca, and Professor Juniper...I may have never gotten another chance to be a Trainer once more, so...thanks."

"Oh, come on, it's nothing. After all, it's not every day an ex-Champion appears in your town and moves right next door."

I smiled. "Yeah..."

"Still...Witch? That seems as weird as that N guy calling you a Wizard..."

...Cheren, I'm still trying to work on that. "At this point, I'm not worried about it. Still, I'll make that a question for him to answer if I ever see him again." What's Yoshika's question for him anyways? I dunno...

"Anyways, it'll do us no good sitting in here. Let's get out of here and back to Bianca and Yoshika."

I nodded in return. "You took the words right out of my mouth."

XXXXXXXX

After getting out of the cave, we returned to Bianca and Yoshika, at which point the girl gave me some Heal Balls. Bianca offered to take the girl back to the Pokémon Center, but I chose to do it instead.

After all, I did need to buy some more supplies after all the hits we took.

Anyways, Yoshika and I were sitting inside the room we had checked in for the night (by the time we got involved in the events recently, it had been a few hours), getting a break.

"So you're Mai, right?" Nanami asked the Blitzle.

"Sure am!" Mai replied. "I'm a rather strong Blitzle. What about you?"

"Nanami. I'm this guy's Starter. And those guys over there are Scamp, Hermione, and Aidan."

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Mai," Aidan greeted.

"Super," Scamp simply said.

Hermione simply nodded as she was busy staring at Briquet.

"Well, hopefully you guys are going to be able to keep up." Mai told them.

"Well...you and Briquet do need some work first..." I told her.

"What? But I'm already strong!" She looked upset.

"Well...apparently, your defenses leave things to the imagination or something like that. Besides, I'm sure you'll get strong enough to handle anything not Ground-typed."

"Speaking of Briquet," Nanami pointed out. "Apparently...whatever its gender is, it's silent."

"Hmm?" I looked at Briquet. "Well, I don't see a mouth, do you?"

"Fair point. So it's a party of four talkers versus a party of two silent-types?"

Hermione looked over at the Oshawott as if to glare at her.

"Anyways..." I said. "Let's just get some sleep."

"Still surprised that there was a room for us still," Yoshika told me as she was sitting with Yusu in her lap and Neptune busy munching on a Poffin we had bought for our Pokémon to eat.

"Hey, as long as we don't have to sleep outside," Neptune told her. "Not to complain, but I like having a roof right now, dood."

"I wouldn't mind camping," I replied. "I don't have a tent, though..."

"Excuse me?" a voice asked.

Looking at the doorway, we saw the same girl from before, this time escorted by Nurse Joy (or, at least, one named that. I forget who the original Nurse Joy is).

"Do you two mind if this young lady comes in here?" Nurse Joy asked us. "She wanted to stay for the night, but we're all out of room. Said something about not wanting to chance another theft."

Well...does sound about right...

"Do you mind, Yoshika?" I asked my companion.

"Not really," she replied cheerfully. "It'd be fun to have another girl to talk to. No offense, Roland."

"Hey..." I said it weakly.

"Thanks..." the girl told us a little shyly as she stepped inside. "Um...I'm sorry, but...I didn't really expect to be seeing you two again so soon."

"We don't bite, though Hermione knows it." The girl gave off a quick squeak. "Hey, it's alright. She won't actually use it! I think she knows better unless I order her to!"

"Don't we have little room left for another person?" Nanami asked me.

"Sorry for having to intrude, but...I didn't want to sleep outside for the night," the girl told us. "I hope you don't mind it too much."

"Well, it might be a bit small, but there's still some room..."

"Thanks...miss?"

Nanami looked at the girl with a stare. "...Let me guess: Witch?"

"Witch?" Yoshika asked.

"Oh, right, you weren't there..." I told her. "Well, in a nutshell, she's got a really good aim with a rock. An extremely good aim."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said quickly. "I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? My name's Lynette, but...you can call me Lynne if you want."

"Lynne, huh? I'm Roland. This young lady over here is Yoshika."

"Hello!" Yoshika greeted cheerfully.

"Um...nice to meet you two," Lynette replied.

"...Are you okay, Lynne?" Well, she seemed to ease into the nickname quickly.

"Sorry, but...I'm not much of a people person..."

Yoshika raised an eyebrow. "Shy?"

"A little..."

"Some of us get like that," I told her. "Anyways, what kind of magic was that?"

"Well...it's a bit hard to explain, but..." Lynette looked to be trying to think of a way to say what it was. "I guess I'd best describe it as 'bullet stabilization'. That's what my mum told me, at least."

"That...does make sense, I think..."

"To be honest, all I've really used it for is just throwing things, particularly Poké Balls." She then smiled a little proudly. "I can actually catch Pokémon who try to run away from me rather easily since I can aim so well. I caught thirty Taurus one time in Kanto's Safari Zone."

"Thirty?" What would she have done with thirty?

"Yeah. Though..." Lynette blushed a bit in embarrassment. "I didn't really mean to do that...I just found Taurus rather easily..."

"At least you had that sort of luck. I tried catching a Chansey there once." I held up a single digit on my right hand. "Once."

"What happened?"

"...It took me ten days' worth of trips, perhaps a lot of cash, and a good amount of walker's miles before I found one, and it ran away from me." I chuckled nervously. "I gave up on catching it afterwards."

"Oh. That sounds bad..."

I smiled a tiny bit. "Oh, it's not too bad. After all, I'm here. Just one disappointment in my life, nothing to linger over."

"I see." To Yoshika, she added, "What about you, Yoshika?"

"Mine's healing," Yoshika told her.

"Healing?"

"Yep! Been in my family line, so I'm proud to have gotten it."

I laid down on my sleeping bag and closed my eyes, the voices of my companion and our new roommate chattering away.

I want to rest and be ready to train some more.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **...And that's the end of the current chapter.**

 **Just as a heads-up, I'm currently trying to get back into the swing of writing and updating. This is the first start to see how well this goes for scheduling.**

 **So in review, this was the last chapter I had prepared before the long hiatus. Here's some details I should discuss found in this chapter:**

 **1) The Pokémon Day Care: Is it just me, or is there not really a consistent pattern of when you find the Day Care? In Gen 1, it was south of Cerulean. In Gen 4, it was in Solaceon Town. In Gen 5, it's right after the first gym. And Gen 6 has it on Route 7. I haven't figured out a theme for this since it seems a bit...random to me for placement. If any reader knows one, or has a theory on it, please let me know. It's just a detail I thought of.**

 **2) TETA: If I recall right, this is supposed to be the target demographic for Pokémon (though in reality I think we all know where the average player demographic for the games lie...it's where I'm thinking, right?), but it's a bit...odd seeing preschoolers (who should be around five) having Pokémon of their own. I'm hoping they're five years old...if not, then I hate to say it, but they are rather impressive midgets...small people...whichever term you want to use. Please don't accuse me of being something that ends in "-ist" (at least, something along the vein of "sexist" or "ableist", the latter of which I think I could be accused of being for that comment. Though if you accuse me of being a scientist, then we can talk. Unless it's now a problem: politics is weird sometimes).**

 **3) The contents of Lynette/Lynne's bag: Do I need to say where the idea for it came from? At least, the bowling ball?**

 **4) Lynette's "Bullet Stabilization": This is a rather interesting variation of her magic, since at her age she wouldn't be able to hold a gun (I hope; I think gun laws vary by country, and I feel like that could be the same between regions in the Pokémon world). To explain it a bit: Lynette is able to encase a small object (right now) in magic before launching it at a target with a throw. She's still retaining her sniper status, so there's that.**

 **5) The thirty Taurus: Anime reference, if you're not sure where it's from. That's what I hear Ash did (I seriously have to go back and watch the Pokémon anime from the beginning sometime). Other than that, the detail might just be worth a thousand Whose Line points, tough there might be something later on.**

 **And I think that's it for the notes. If there's anything I need to address, I'll probably do it in the next chapter. But for now...**

 **Thanks for reading through to this point. Please read and respond, you know the drill: it helps give me a sense of what I did right and wrong.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter as we begin the second arc of this Nuzlocke.**

* * *

 _Pokémon Names (Mai and Briquet)_

 _Mai: Name is based on Mai Valentine from "Yu-Gi-Oh!" I originally wanted to name her Joey (as a male), but since she's a girl..._

 _Briquet: Based off "coal briquets"...sue me, I couldn't think of any other names at the moment._


End file.
